Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 611 Shares of Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,751 shares of the company’s stock after selling 611 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Baker Hughes were worth $154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BKR. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Baker Hughes by 34.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 10,920,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,775,000 after purchasing an additional 2,811,940 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. bought a new position in Baker Hughes in the 4th quarter valued at $107,155,000. Yaupon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Baker Hughes in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,296,000. Eagle Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Baker Hughes by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,486,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,326,000 after purchasing an additional 860,219 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Baker Hughes by 436.0% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,004,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,318,000 after purchasing an additional 817,227 shares during the period. 92.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Baker Hughes

In related news, EVP Maria C. Borras sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.77, for a total transaction of $358,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 173,302 shares in the company, valued at $7,758,730.54. The trade was a 4.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Baker Hughes Price Performance

BKR stock opened at $43.51 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $44.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.40. Baker Hughes has a 12-month low of $29.19 and a 12-month high of $49.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.60, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.07. Baker Hughes had a net margin of 10.70% and a return on equity of 14.58%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Baker Hughes will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Baker Hughes Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 11th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. This is a boost from Baker Hughes’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Baker Hughes’s payout ratio is currently 30.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on BKR shares. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Baker Hughes in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Baker Hughes from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Baker Hughes from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Baker Hughes from $49.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Baker Hughes from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.06.

Baker Hughes Profile

Baker Hughes Company provides a portfolio of technologies and services to energy and industrial value chain worldwide. The company operates through Oilfield Services & Equipment (OFSE) and Industrial & Energy Technology (IET) segments. The OFSE segment designs and manufactures products and provides related services, including exploration, appraisal, development, production, rejuvenation, and decommissioning for onshore and offshore oilfield operations.