Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $1.47 Million Investment in Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. invested approximately $1.47 million in Howmet Aerospace, acquiring 11,343 shares in the 1st quarter of the year.
• Following a series of insider transactions, including significant sales by executives, 1.12% of the stock is now owned by insiders.
• Analyst ratings for Howmet Aerospace are largely favorable, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $153.47.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 11,343 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,472,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 13,213,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,445,210,000 after buying an additional 80,972 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 10,947,354 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,197,315,000 after buying an additional 1,026,130 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,855,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,021,000 after buying an additional 570,567 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,676,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $402,143,000 after buying an additional 349,384 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,144,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $343,959,000 after buying an additional 13,865 shares during the period. 90.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HWM has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Howmet Aerospace from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Howmet Aerospace from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $190.00 price target (up from $140.00) on shares of Howmet Aerospace in a research report on Monday. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Howmet Aerospace from $170.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded Howmet Aerospace from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $172.13.

Howmet Aerospace Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE HWM traded up $2.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $181.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,016,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,094,372. Howmet Aerospace Inc. has a one year low of $87.64 and a one year high of $193.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $178.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.10. The stock has a market cap of $73.36 billion, a PE ratio of 53.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.48.

Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.04. Howmet Aerospace had a return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 18.09%. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. Howmet Aerospace's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Howmet Aerospace Inc. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Howmet Aerospace Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This is a positive change from Howmet Aerospace's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Howmet Aerospace's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Howmet Aerospace news, EVP Neil Edward Marchuk sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total transaction of $4,755,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 131,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,903,607.27. This represents a 18.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John C. Plant sold 800,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.96, for a total value of $125,568,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 236,544 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,127,946.24. The trade was a 77.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.12% of the company's stock.

Howmet Aerospace Company Profile

Howmet Aerospace Inc provides advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Poland, China, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Engine Products, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels.