BAE Systems (LON:BA) Trading Down 0.5% - Time to Sell?

Shares of BAE Systems plc (LON:BA - Get Free Report) traded down 0.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 1,752 ($23.31) and last traded at GBX 1,770.50 ($23.55). 4,847,676 shares were traded during trading, The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,779 ($23.67).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BA. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 1,440 ($19.16) target price on shares of BAE Systems in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of BAE Systems from GBX 1,510 ($20.09) to GBX 1,900 ($25.28) and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of BAE Systems from GBX 1,630 ($21.68) to GBX 1,725 ($22.95) and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 1,626.25 ($21.63).

BAE Systems Stock Down 3.3 %

The company's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 1,640.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 1,385.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 94.02, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of £52.26 billion, a PE ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.33.

BAE Systems (LON:BA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported GBX 68.50 ($0.91) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. BAE Systems had a return on equity of 16.87% and a net margin of 7.49%. On average, analysts forecast that BAE Systems plc will post 73.537927 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BAE Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of GBX 20.60 ($0.27) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 17th. This is an increase from BAE Systems's previous dividend of $12.40. BAE Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Brad Greve sold 363,705 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,497 ($19.91), for a total transaction of £5,444,663.85 ($7,243,134.03). Also, insider Tom Arseneault sold 165,890 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,568 ($20.86), for a total value of £2,601,155.20 ($3,460,363.44). Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 30 shares of company stock worth $40,272 and have sold 1,562,656 shares worth $2,420,076,634. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

BAE Systems Company Profile

BAE Systems plc provides defense, aerospace, and security solutions worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Electronic Systems, Platforms & Services, Air, Maritime, and Cyber & Intelligence. The Electronic Systems segment offers electronic warfare systems, navigation systems, electro-optical sensors, military and commercial digital engine and flight controls, precision guidance and seeker solutions, military communication systems and data links, persistent surveillance capabilities, space electronics, and electric drive propulsion systems.