Zacks Research Upgrades Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) to “Hold”

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Bristow Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bristow Group in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.00.

Bristow Group Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE VTOL opened at $43.94 on Tuesday. Bristow Group has a 1-year low of $32.76 and a 1-year high of $50.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $42.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.60. The company has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.57). The company had revenue of $388.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.68 million. Bristow Group had a net margin of 7.51% and a return on equity of 11.10%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Bristow Group will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bristow Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTOL. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Bristow Group in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Bristow Group by 1,450.7% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Bristow Group by 1,645.3% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,053 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Bristow Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Bristow Group by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.29% of the company’s stock.

Bristow Group Company Profile

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.