Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Co. (NYSE:BAH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Co. (NYSE:BAH) saw a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,640,000 shares, a growth of 12.3% from the October 15th total of 1,460,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 797,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Booz Allen Hamilton Stock Performance

Shares of BAH stock traded down $8.90 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $140.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,290,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 773,468. The company has a 50 day moving average of $165.64 and a 200 day moving average of $157.10. The stock has a market cap of $17.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. Booz Allen Hamilton has a 12-month low of $123.17 and a 12-month high of $190.59.

Booz Allen Hamilton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Booz Allen Hamilton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.03%.

Insider Activity at Booz Allen Hamilton

In other news, CFO Matthew Calderone sold 3,865 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $618,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,683 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,389,280. The trade was a 10.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Crowe sold 4,243 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $700,095.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 25,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,206,840. This represents a 14.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,173 shares of company stock worth $1,989,220 in the last 90 days. 1.59% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Booz Allen Hamilton

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BAH. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Booz Allen Hamilton during the second quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Booz Allen Hamilton during the first quarter worth $35,000. 91.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BAH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $154.00 to $158.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $142.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $185.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $180.63.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation provides management and technology consulting, analytics, engineering, digital solutions, mission operations, and cyber services to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. It focuses on artificial intelligence services comprising of machine learning, predictive modeling, automation and decision analytics, and quantum computing.