John Bean Technologies (NYSE:JBT) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of John Bean Technologies Co. (NYSE:JBT) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $128.60 and last traded at $128.17, with a volume of 320396 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. CJS Securities assumed coverage on shares of John Bean Technologies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on John Bean Technologies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company.

John Bean Technologies Trading Up 2.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The company has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 23.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $117.11 and its 200-day moving average is $101.95.

John Bean Technologies (NYSE:JBT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The industrial products company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $453.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $442.20 million. John Bean Technologies had a net margin of 10.25% and a return on equity of 10.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that John Bean Technologies Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

John Bean Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. John Bean Technologies’s payout ratio is 7.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Bean Technologies

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of John Bean Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of John Bean Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of John Bean Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in John Bean Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $85,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in John Bean Technologies by 31.5% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,014 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. 98.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About John Bean Technologies

John Bean Technologies Corporation provides technology solutions to food and beverage industry in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It offers value-added processing that includes chilling, mixing/grinding, injecting, blending, marinating, tumbling, flattening, forming, portioning, coating, cooking, frying, freezing, extracting, pasteurizing, sterilizing, concentrating, high pressure processing, weighing, inspecting, filling, closing, sealing, end of line material handling, and packaging solutions to the food, beverage, and health market.