Baytex Energy (TSE:BTE) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Baytex Energy Corp. (TSE:BTE) (NYSE:BTE) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$5.90 and traded as high as C$6.33. Baytex Energy shares last traded at C$6.32, with a volume of 3,156,949 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BTE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Baytex Energy from C$8.00 to C$8.50 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. ATB Cormark Capital Markets upped their price objective on Baytex Energy from C$7.00 to C$8.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. National Bank Financial increased their target price on Baytex Energy from C$7.50 to C$8.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Scotia boosted their price target on Baytex Energy from C$6.50 to C$7.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, TD upped their price target on Baytex Energy from C$6.00 to C$6.50 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Baytex Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$7.05.

Baytex Energy Stock Up 0.8%

The stock has a market cap of C$4.58 billion, a PE ratio of -7.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.94, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.82. The company’s 50-day moving average price is C$5.92 and its 200 day moving average price is C$5.91.

Baytex Energy (TSE:BTE) (NYSE:BTE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported C$0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Baytex Energy had a negative net margin of 131.38% and a negative return on equity of 26.41%. The company had revenue of C$564.88 million during the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Baytex Energy Corp. will post 0.3703367 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Baytex Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd were paid a $0.0225 dividend. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Baytex Energy’s dividend payout ratio is -7.34%.

Insider Activity at Baytex Energy

In related news, Director Stephen David Lile Reynish sold 77,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$6.85, for a total value of C$531,560.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$105,490. This trade represents a 83.44% decrease in their position. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Baytex Energy

Baytex Energy Corp. is a Calgary -based energy company committed to driving shareholder value through disciplined execution. It operates a high-quality, high-return portfolio in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, featuring the Pembina Duvernay and heavy oil plays in Alberta and Saskatchewan. These core assets are backed by an extensive drilling inventory and consistently generate strong cash flow.