Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) Stock Crosses Above 50 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.93 and traded as high as $41.70. Bristow Group shares last traded at $41.1150, with a volume of 273,472 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTOL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Bristow Group in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of Bristow Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Bristow Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.00.

Bristow Group Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 1.22.

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $437.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $443.25 million. Bristow Group had a net margin of 4.98% and a return on equity of 7.47%. Research analysts expect that Bristow Group Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristow Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.1250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Bristow Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.66%.

Insider Transactions at Bristow Group

In other news, Director Lorin Brass sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.42, for a total value of $127,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 14,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $603,339.66. This represents a 17.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 897 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $38,571.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,840,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $122,138,748. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,858 shares of company stock worth $2,431,989. 12.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bristow Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Bristow Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Nykredit A S bought a new position in Bristow Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Bristow Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in Bristow Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Bristow Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $73,000. 93.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group, Inc. provides helicopter and other aviation services, primarily supporting offshore energy operations and government customers. Its services include transporting personnel and supplies to offshore installations, as well as search-and-rescue operations and related aviation support. The company serves customers across several regions, including the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia. Its operations include contracted search-and-rescue services in parts of Europe and the United Kingdom, alongside aviation services for the energy industry.