Short Interest in BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:BWXT) Rises By 41.8%

BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,680,000 shares, an increase of 41.8% from the May 15th total of 1,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,070,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BWXT shares. CLSA restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $177.60 target price (up previously from $153.00) on shares of BWX Technologies in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Maxim Group reduced their price objective on BWX Technologies from $140.00 to $136.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America lowered their target price on BWX Technologies from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BWX Technologies in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of BWX Technologies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.84.

Institutional Trading of BWX Technologies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BWXT. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in BWX Technologies during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of BWX Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of BWX Technologies in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of BWX Technologies by 40.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 316 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 200.0% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 354 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. 94.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BWX Technologies Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of BWXT stock traded down $0.84 on Thursday, hitting $140.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,366,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 877,154. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.66. BWX Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $84.21 and a fifty-two week high of $145.33. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $116.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.91.

BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $682.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $644.15 million. BWX Technologies had a return on equity of 30.26% and a net margin of 10.39%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that BWX Technologies will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

BWX Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. BWX Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 31.85%.

BWX Technologies Company Profile

BWX Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells nuclear components in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Government Operations and Commercial Operations. The Government Operations segment designs and manufactures naval nuclear components, reactors, and nuclear fuel; fabrication activities; and supplies proprietary and sole-source valves, manifolds, and fittings to naval and commercial shipping customers.