Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.06.

Several brokerages recently commented on BKR. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Baker Hughes from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of Baker Hughes in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Baker Hughes from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Baker Hughes from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Baker Hughes from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

Baker Hughes Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of BKR traded up $0.49 on Friday, hitting $44.60. 9,528,791 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,292,886. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Baker Hughes has a 1 year low of $30.93 and a 1 year high of $49.40. The stock's 50 day moving average is $44.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.50.

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Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts predict that Baker Hughes will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Baker Hughes Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This is an increase from Baker Hughes's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. Baker Hughes's payout ratio is currently 30.87%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Baker Hughes

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BKR. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Baker Hughes by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 455,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,693,000 after buying an additional 47,404 shares during the last quarter. 111 Capital acquired a new position in Baker Hughes during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $763,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Baker Hughes by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 54,799 shares of the company's stock worth $2,248,000 after buying an additional 14,749 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in Baker Hughes in the fourth quarter worth $13,057,000. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Baker Hughes during the fourth quarter valued at $155,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.06% of the company's stock.

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.