Short Interest in Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Co. (NYSE:BAH) Increases By 10.2%

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Co. (NYSE:BAH - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,340,000 shares, a growth of 10.2% from the November 30th total of 3,940,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,520,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Booz Allen Hamilton Trading Up 0.3 %

BAH stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $128.70. The company had a trading volume of 1,097,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,311. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $151.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.91. Booz Allen Hamilton has a 12 month low of $123.17 and a 12 month high of $190.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. The stock has a market cap of $16.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.52.

Booz Allen Hamilton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Booz Allen Hamilton's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Crowe sold 4,243 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $700,095.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,206,840. The trade was a 14.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Calderone sold 4,065 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $670,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 29,618 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,886,970. The trade was a 12.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.59% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Booz Allen Hamilton

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Booz Allen Hamilton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Booz Allen Hamilton in the third quarter valued at approximately $45,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Booz Allen Hamilton by 56.2% in the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 353 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Booz Allen Hamilton during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton during the 2nd quarter valued at $83,000. Institutional investors own 91.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on BAH. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Booz Allen Hamilton from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $180.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $210.00 to $158.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $206.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Booz Allen Hamilton to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Booz Allen Hamilton from $185.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $167.44.

Booz Allen Hamilton Company Profile

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation provides management and technology consulting, analytics, engineering, digital solutions, mission operations, and cyber services to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. It focuses on artificial intelligence services comprising of machine learning, predictive modeling, automation and decision analytics, and quantum computing.

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