Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.67.

BBU has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Desjardins increased their price target on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $26.50 to $28.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. National Bankshares raised their target price on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Brookfield Business Partners from a "c" rating to a "d+" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th.

Brookfield Business Partners Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE BBU traded down $0.12 on Monday, hitting $20.45. 1,915 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,670. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.22. Brookfield Business Partners has a fifty-two week low of $12.22 and a fifty-two week high of $23.75. The company has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $21.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.71.

Brookfield Business Partners (NYSE:BBU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The business services provider reported $6.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $5.67. Brookfield Business Partners had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 21.74%. The business had revenue of $13.41 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Brookfield Business Partners will post 3.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brookfield Business Partners Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Brookfield Business Partners's dividend payout ratio is presently 3.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brookfield Business Partners

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BBU. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC purchased a new position in Brookfield Business Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Brookfield Business Partners by 31.5% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 6,133 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 1,468 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Brookfield Business Partners by 365.7% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,163 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 6,410 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners during the second quarter valued at approximately $323,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners during the third quarter valued at approximately $476,000. 85.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Brookfield Business Partners

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. is a private equity firm specializing in acquisition. The firm typically invests in business services, infrastructure services, construction, energy, and industrials sector. It prefers to take majority stake in companies. The firm seeks returns of at least 15% on its investments.