Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) Stock Falls 0.4% – Time to Sell?

Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL) shares traded down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $38.47 and last traded at $38.5270. 180,025 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 219,552 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Bristow Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Bristow Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.00.

Bristow Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.85. The company has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $42.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.77.

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $411.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $407.28 million. Bristow Group had a return on equity of 9.82% and a net margin of 6.66%. Sell-side analysts expect that Bristow Group Inc. will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristow Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.1250 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Bristow Group’s payout ratio is presently 14.41%.

Insider Transactions at Bristow Group

In related news, insider Alternative Asset Manage Solus sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.85, for a total transaction of $687,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,861,796 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,213,346.60. This trade represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lorin L. Brass sold 3,000 shares of Bristow Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.42, for a total transaction of $127,260.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,223 shares in the company, valued at $603,339.66. This trade represents a 17.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 53,858 shares of company stock valued at $2,431,989. Corporate insiders own 12.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bristow Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bristow Group during the second quarter worth about $162,017,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Bristow Group in the second quarter valued at about $7,463,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Bristow Group in the second quarter valued at about $6,290,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Bristow Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $6,611,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Bristow Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,015,000. 93.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group Inc (NYSE: VTOL) is a provider of aviation services, specializing in helicopter transportation and support for the offshore energy industry, government agencies and other commercial customers. The company operates helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to transport personnel and equipment, support offshore installations and provide specialized aviation services.

Bristow’s government services include search-and-rescue operations, emergency response and aviation support conducted under long-term contracts.