Franklin Resources Inc. Reduces Holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX)

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX - Free Report) by 13.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 664,758 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 106,788 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of Helix Energy Solutions Group worth $7,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $61,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,722 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 1,343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $130,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.33% of the company's stock.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Price Performance

HLX stock traded up $0.07 on Monday, reaching $9.10. 1,250,952 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,792,875. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.81 and a twelve month high of $13.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.29, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.01 and a 200-day moving average of $10.63. The firm has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 227.56 and a beta of 2.45.

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $342.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.74 million. Helix Energy Solutions Group had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 4.39%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.19 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. will post 0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Helix Energy Solutions Group news, CEO Owen E. Kratz sold 298,419 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.92, for a total value of $3,557,154.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 7,171,860 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $85,488,571.20. This represents a 3.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Scott Andrew Sparks sold 170,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.87, for a total value of $1,677,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 112,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,111,697.58. This represents a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 484,419 shares of company stock worth $5,394,094. Company insiders own 6.37% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on HLX. StockNews.com upgraded Helix Energy Solutions Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James began coverage on shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $14.00 price target for the company.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Profile

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments.