Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Shares of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE:HI - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $30.17, but opened at $33.62. Hillenbrand shares last traded at $34.61, with a volume of 98,958 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on HI shares. DA Davidson downgraded Hillenbrand from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $54.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Monday, August 12th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of Hillenbrand from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Hillenbrand from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $44.67.

Hillenbrand Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.26. The firm has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.29 and a beta of 1.38.

Hillenbrand Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a $0.2225 dividend. This is an increase from Hillenbrand's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Hillenbrand's payout ratio is presently -30.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hillenbrand

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Hillenbrand during the third quarter valued at $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Hillenbrand by 58.2% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 712 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Hillenbrand in the third quarter worth about $48,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Hillenbrand by 32.2% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,263 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hillenbrand during the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.09% of the company's stock.

Hillenbrand Company Profile

Hillenbrand, Inc operates as an industrial company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Advanced Process Solutions and Molding Technology Solutions. The Advanced Process Solutions segment designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and services process and material handling equipment and systems comprising compounding, extrusion, and material handling equipment, equipment system design services, as well as offers mixing technology, ingredient automation, and portion process; and provides screening and separating equipment for various industries, including plastics, food and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilizers, minerals, energy, wastewater treatment, forest products, and other general industrials.