Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $50.38 and last traded at $49.53, with a volume of 50513 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $49.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Bristow Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bristow Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Bristow Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 8th. JonesTrading started coverage on Bristow Group in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on Bristow Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.00.

Bristow Group Trading Down 1.6%

The firm has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.57). The business had revenue of $388.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.68 million. Bristow Group had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 7.51%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Bristow Group Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristow Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Bristow Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bristow Group

In related news, Director Maryanne Miller sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.90, for a total transaction of $98,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $909,314.80. This trade represents a 9.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Stuart Stavley sold 24,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.02, for a total value of $1,171,174.16. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 85,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,033,845.80. This represents a 22.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 61,104 shares of company stock valued at $2,869,206 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bristow Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bristow Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 1,450.7% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 1,645.3% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Bristow Group during the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 121.4% during the fourth quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. 93.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group Inc is a global provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry and search-and-rescue (SAR) operations worldwide. The company specializes in the safe and efficient transport of personnel, equipment and supplies to offshore oil and gas platforms, as well as emergency response and medevac services. Bristow’s operations support exploration, production and decommissioning activities, helping energy companies maintain continuity of production in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

The company maintains a diverse fleet of turbine-powered helicopters, including medium- and heavy-lift aircraft such as the Sikorsky S-92, Airbus H225 (formerly EC225) and Leonardo AW189.