Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) Short Interest Update

Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 15,210,000 shares, a decrease of 10.4% from the November 30th total of 16,980,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 6,420,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Baker Hughes from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Baker Hughes from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Baker Hughes in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Argus raised Baker Hughes from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on Baker Hughes from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BKR. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Baker Hughes in the third quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Baker Hughes by 2,181.6% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 867 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Baker Hughes by 442.2% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 976 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Baker Hughes during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baker Hughes during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.06% of the company's stock.

Baker Hughes Stock Performance

Shares of BKR stock traded up $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $41.02. 4,630,617 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,076,203. Baker Hughes has a twelve month low of $28.32 and a twelve month high of $45.17. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $41.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.40.

Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. Baker Hughes had a net margin of 8.20% and a return on equity of 13.77%. Baker Hughes's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.42 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baker Hughes will post 2.29 EPS for the current year.

Baker Hughes Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. Baker Hughes's dividend payout ratio is 37.67%.

About Baker Hughes

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.