Bentley Systems Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:BSY)

Bentley Systems, Incorporated (NASDAQ:BSY) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 10,130 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 3,584% compared to the average volume of 275 call options.

Bentley Systems Stock Up 6.4%

Bentley Systems stock traded up $1.91 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.80. 1,429,167 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,002,343. Bentley Systems has a 52-week low of $28.08 and a 52-week high of $59.25. The firm has a market cap of $9.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.13, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The company’s 50-day moving average is $32.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.16.

Bentley Systems (NASDAQ:BSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.02. Bentley Systems had a return on equity of 28.65% and a net margin of 18.12%.The company had revenue of $424.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $419.80 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Bentley Systems will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Bentley Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Bentley Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bentley Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bentley Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Bentley Systems by 1,529.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Bentley Systems by 80.2% during the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Bentley Systems during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. acquired a new position in Bentley Systems in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 44.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BSY has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Bentley Systems from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Bentley Systems from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Bentley Systems in a report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on Bentley Systems from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Bentley Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.50.

Bentley Systems Company Profile

Bentley Systems, Inc is a global software provider specializing in infrastructure engineering applications for the design, construction, and operations of roads, bridges, rail and transit systems, water and wastewater networks, power plants and grids, industrial facilities, and communications infrastructure. Founded in 1984 by brothers Keith and Barry Bentley, the company is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, and maintains offices and development centers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.