Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $171.70 and last traded at $170.93, with a volume of 263853 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $169.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HWM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Howmet Aerospace from $120.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Howmet Aerospace from $118.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Howmet Aerospace from $124.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Howmet Aerospace from $125.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Howmet Aerospace from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $132.53.

Howmet Aerospace Trading Up 0.6%

The company has a market cap of $70.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company's 50-day moving average is $144.63 and its 200 day moving average is $130.15.

Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.09. Howmet Aerospace had a net margin of 15.55% and a return on equity of 25.74%. The business had revenue of $1.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.53 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Howmet Aerospace Inc. will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

Howmet Aerospace Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Howmet Aerospace's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.03%.

Insider Transactions at Howmet Aerospace

In other Howmet Aerospace news, VP Barbara Lou Shultz sold 1,250 shares of Howmet Aerospace stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.17, for a total transaction of $193,962.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 23,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,575,737.48. The trade was a 5.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John C. Plant sold 800,000 shares of Howmet Aerospace stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.96, for a total transaction of $125,568,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 236,544 shares in the company, valued at $37,127,946.24. This trade represents a 77.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 831,250 shares of company stock valued at $130,517,863. Corporate insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Howmet Aerospace

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace during the first quarter valued at about $218,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace during the first quarter valued at about $32,547,000. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace during the first quarter valued at about $786,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace during the first quarter valued at about $399,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 10.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,079 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares during the last quarter. 90.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Howmet Aerospace

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.