BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $107.62, but opened at $113.01. BWX Technologies shares last traded at $114.73, with a volume of 345,561 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BWXT shares. Seaport Res Ptn raised BWX Technologies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Maxim Group decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of BWX Technologies from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.88.

BWX Technologies Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $104.82 and a 200 day moving average of $111.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 2.25 and a quick ratio of 2.25. The stock has a market cap of $10.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.66.

BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $682.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $644.15 million. BWX Technologies had a net margin of 10.32% and a return on equity of 31.95%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. On average, analysts expect that BWX Technologies, Inc. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BWX Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. BWX Technologies's payout ratio is 31.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Robert L. Duffy sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.03, for a total value of $624,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,206 shares in the company, valued at $333,520.18. The trade was a 65.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Rex D. Geveden sold 45,625 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.40, for a total transaction of $4,900,125.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 218,218 shares in the company, valued at $23,436,613.20. This trade represents a 17.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 53,625 shares of company stock valued at $5,734,145. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of BWX Technologies by 33.7% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,517 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in BWX Technologies by 270.8% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 48,298 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,765,000 after purchasing an additional 35,273 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in BWX Technologies by 641.3% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 3,877 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 2.2% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 326,414 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $32,201,000 after buying an additional 6,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BWX Technologies by 119.1% during the 1st quarter. Adalta Capital Management LLC now owns 10,335 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,020,000 after buying an additional 5,617 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.