Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) Stock Price Down 2.7% - Should You Sell?

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 2.7% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $8.93 and last traded at $9.01. Approximately 98,281 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 1,781,667 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.26.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James initiated 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 objective for the company. 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 reduced their target price on shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Trading Up 0.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.29. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 231.81 and a beta of 2.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.62.

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.02. Helix Energy Solutions Group had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 4.39%. The company had revenue of $342.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Diana Glassman sold 16,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total transaction of $159,040.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $259,762.02. This represents a 37.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Scott Andrew Sparks sold 170,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.87, for a total transaction of $1,677,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 112,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,111,697.58. This trade represents a 60.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 484,419 shares of company stock valued at $5,394,094. 6.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Helix Energy Solutions Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group by 38.6% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,064,809 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $22,919,000 after buying an additional 575,450 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,286,917 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $36,492,000 after acquiring an additional 25,432 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 269.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 306,482 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,402,000 after purchasing an additional 223,432 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $273,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group by 217.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 305,767 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,394,000 after purchasing an additional 209,311 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.33% of the company's stock.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Company 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.