Brookfield Business Partners (NYSE:BBU) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 15,307 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 7% from the previous session's volume of 14,266 shares.The stock last traded at $25.04 and had previously closed at $25.68.

Brookfield Business Partners Trading Down 3.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.48. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $24.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.27.

Brookfield Business Partners (NYSE:BBU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The business services provider reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter. Brookfield Business Partners had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 30.68%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Brookfield Business Partners L.P. will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Brookfield Business Partners Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.063 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This is an increase from Brookfield Business Partners's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. Brookfield Business Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brookfield Business Partners

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BBU. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in Brookfield Business Partners by 13.6% in the third quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 773,975 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $18,145,000 after purchasing an additional 92,413 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Brookfield Business Partners by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 767,726 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $15,036,000 after buying an additional 22,886 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners by 29.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 117,189 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,731,000 after acquiring an additional 26,947 shares in the last quarter. PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. lifted its position in Brookfield Business Partners by 14.2% during the third quarter. PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. now owns 1,518,892 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,528,000 after acquiring an additional 188,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd boosted its stake in Brookfield Business Partners by 97.4% in the second quarter. AYAL Capital Advisors Ltd now owns 45,000 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $848,000 after acquiring an additional 22,200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.04% of the company's stock.

About Brookfield Business Partners

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. is a private equity firm specializing in acquisition. The firm typically invests in business services, infrastructure services, construction, energy, and industrials sector. It prefers to take majority stake in companies. The firm seeks returns of at least 15% on its investments.