Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $51.06.

BKR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Baker Hughes from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Baker Hughes from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Baker Hughes from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Baker Hughes from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Baker Hughes from $53.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Baker Hughes Price Performance

BKR stock opened at $44.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.80, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $44.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Baker Hughes has a 12-month low of $30.93 and a 12-month high of $49.40.

Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.07. Baker Hughes had a return on equity of 14.58% and a net margin of 10.70%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Baker Hughes will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Baker Hughes Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This is a positive change from Baker Hughes’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Baker Hughes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.87%.

Insider Transactions at Baker Hughes

In other news, EVP Maria C. Borras sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.77, for a total transaction of $358,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 173,302 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,758,730.54. This trade represents a 4.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Baker Hughes by 135.9% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Baker Hughes during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Baker Hughes by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Baker Hughes by 2,181.6% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in shares of Baker Hughes by 1,045.1% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 889,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 811,711 shares during the period. 92.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baker Hughes Company Profile

Baker Hughes Company provides a portfolio of technologies and services to energy and industrial value chain worldwide. The company operates through Oilfield Services & Equipment (OFSE) and Industrial & Energy Technology (IET) segments. The OFSE segment designs and manufactures products and provides related services, including exploration, appraisal, development, production, rejuvenation, and decommissioning for onshore and offshore oilfield operations.