BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT) Hits New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• BWX Technologies reached a new 52-week high of $152.77, closing at $152.55, with a trading volume of over 1.2 million shares.
• Analysts have given BWX Technologies a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a price target of $137.94, with some firms raising their targets significantly, such as CLSA increasing its target to $177.60.
• The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates and demonstrating a 13% revenue increase compared to the same period last year.

BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $152.77 and last traded at $152.55, with a volume of 1205095 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $150.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BWXT shares. Maxim Group cut their target price on shares of BWX Technologies from $140.00 to $136.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BWX Technologies in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded BWX Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. CLSA reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $177.60 price objective (up previously from $153.00) on shares of BWX Technologies in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $119.00) on shares of BWX Technologies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $137.94.

BWX Technologies Price Performance

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $138.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.72. The firm has a market cap of $13.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.02.

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

BWX Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. BWX Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BWX Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BWXT. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 9,309.0% during the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 4,482,439 shares of the technology company's stock worth $499,299,000 after purchasing an additional 4,434,799 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of BWX Technologies by 33,572.0% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,517,599 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,228,000 after buying an additional 1,513,092 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in BWX Technologies by 523.2% during the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,517,356 shares of the technology company's stock worth $218,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273,895 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in BWX Technologies by 19.7% during the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,503,679 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $444,288,000 after acquiring an additional 741,282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in BWX Technologies by 279.0% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 958,563 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $94,562,000 after acquiring an additional 705,648 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.39% of the company's stock.

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.