Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE:DCO) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $102.15 and last traded at $101.69, with a volume of 2843 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $101.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Ducommun from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Ducommun in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ducommun from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Ducommun in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ducommun has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.75.

Ducommun Stock Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.84 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $92.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.62.

Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.04. Ducommun had a negative net margin of 4.29% and a positive return on equity of 7.70%. The company had revenue of $212.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $211.41 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. Ducommun’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ducommun Incorporated will post 3.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Jerry L. Redondo sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.86, for a total value of $185,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 65,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,060,879.34. This represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 8.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ducommun

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DCO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ducommun by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 823,225 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $79,137,000 after buying an additional 16,985 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in shares of Ducommun by 6.5% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 626,611 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $51,777,000 after purchasing an additional 38,333 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ducommun by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 325,079 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $26,865,000 after acquiring an additional 5,725 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Ducommun by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 319,470 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,711,000 after purchasing an additional 16,501 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ducommun by 18.4% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 287,298 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,618,000 after acquiring an additional 44,564 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.15% of the company’s stock.

About Ducommun

Ducommun Incorporated, through its Electronics and Structures segments, provides engineered products and integrated systems for the global aerospace, defense and space markets. The Electronics segment focuses on high-reliability electronic assemblies, cable and wire harnesses, connector systems and harsh environment electronics for flight-critical applications. In the Structures segment, Ducommun manufactures complex metallic and composite components such as flight control surfaces, skin panels, heat exchangers and other aerostructures for commercial and military platforms.

Founded in 1849 in California as a hardware and stagecoach parts supplier, Ducommun expanded into aerospace manufacturing during World War II and has since grown its capabilities through targeted acquisitions and organic investments.