Baker Hughes Company (NASDAQ:BKR) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: 21 brokerages rate Baker Hughes an overall "Moderate Buy" (19 buys, 2 holds) with an average 1‑year price target of $62.23 and several firms raising targets to ~$70.
• Operational beat and catalysts: Q1 results beat EPS expectations ($0.58 vs. $0.49), highlighted record IET orders/backlog and portfolio actions that improved revenue visibility and cash, and the board declared a $0.23 quarterly dividend as the stock rallied.
• Insider selling concern: Significant insider sales—CEO sold 272,594 shares and insiders disposed of 590,251 shares (~$35.3M) over the past three months—raising potential governance/timing questions despite heavy institutional ownership (~92%).

Baker Hughes Company (NASDAQ:BKR - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $62.2273.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BKR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Baker Hughes from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Baker Hughes in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Baker Hughes from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Baker Hughes from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Johnson Rice assumed coverage on shares of Baker Hughes in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock.

Key Baker Hughes News

Here are the key news stories impacting Baker Hughes this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations and showed profit strength, supporting the rally; analysts and reports highlighted upside to EPS and better‑than‑expected margins. Baker Hughes beats first-quarter profit boosted by industrial, energy tech demand
• Positive Sentiment: Record IET orders/backlog and portfolio actions increased forward revenue visibility and cash proceeds (JV and asset sales cited by management), which investors interpreted as materially de‑risking growth and improving liquidity. Baker Hughes jumps as Q1 results highlight record IET orders and a stronger balance sheet after portfolio moves
• Positive Sentiment: Near‑term oil supply disruption (Strait of Hormuz) is expected to keep global supplies tighter, prompting major oilfield services firms including Baker Hughes to forecast higher E&P spending — a tailwind for equipment and services demand. SLB, Baker Hughes see oil exploration spending rising as Iran war disrupts supply
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, which supports income‑oriented investor interest. Baker Hughes Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q1 presentation and earnings call transcript are available for detail; these provide color on segment results, backlog and management guidance. BKR Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Q1 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting appears anomalous (reported as zero in the data snapshot) and is not providing a clear signal today.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling has been reported in recent months, which some investors view as a governance/timing concern; also some reports flag mixed cash‑flow trends and rising liabilities that merit watching. Baker Hughes Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue and EPS Beat, Net Income Rebound

Insider Buying and Selling at Baker Hughes

In other Baker Hughes news, Director William G. Beattie sold 18,023 shares of Baker Hughes stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $1,032,537.67. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lorenzo Simonelli sold 272,594 shares of Baker Hughes stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.79, for a total transaction of $16,025,801.26. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 866,444 shares in the company, valued at $50,938,242.76. This trade represents a 23.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 590,251 shares of company stock valued at $35,311,023. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baker Hughes in the third quarter worth $1,920,000. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baker Hughes in the fourth quarter worth $778,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Baker Hughes by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,755,743 shares of the company's stock worth $125,813,000 after buying an additional 309,996 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Baker Hughes by 5.4% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 7,147,684 shares of the company's stock worth $348,234,000 after buying an additional 367,728 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in shares of Baker Hughes by 13.6% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 829,816 shares of the company's stock worth $40,429,000 after buying an additional 99,314 shares during the period. 92.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Baker Hughes Trading Up 6.9%

Shares of BKR opened at $68.94 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $61.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.74. The company has a market capitalization of $68.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Baker Hughes has a 1-year low of $34.56 and a 1-year high of $69.86.

Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.71 billion. Baker Hughes had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 14.38%. Baker Hughes's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Baker Hughes will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baker Hughes Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Baker Hughes's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.38%.

Baker Hughes Company Profile

Baker Hughes is an energy technology company that provides a broad portfolio of products, services and digital solutions for the oil and gas and industrial markets. Its offerings span oilfield services and equipment — including drilling, evaluation, completion and production technologies — as well as turbomachinery, compressors and related process equipment used in midstream and downstream operations. The company also supplies aftermarket services, field support and integrated solutions designed to improve asset performance and uptime across the energy value chain.

The firm's roots trace back to the merger of Baker International and Hughes Tool Company, and more recently it combined with GE's oil and gas business in 2017 to form Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE); subsequent changes in ownership restored Baker Hughes as an independent publicly traded company.

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