Zacks Research Upgrades BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT) to Strong-Buy

Key Points

• Zacks Research has upgraded BWX Technologies from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" rating, suggesting increased confidence in the company's performance.
• The stock's current consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $164.58, amidst positive forecasts for earnings and revenue growth.
• Insider trading activity showed significant sales, with a senior vice president selling over 2,000 shares at an average price of $177.43, indicating changing positions among company leaders.

BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

BWXT has been the subject of several other reports. Northland Capmk upgraded BWX Technologies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Northland Securities initiated coverage on BWX Technologies in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $205.00 price objective for the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of BWX Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Maxim Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of BWX Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of BWX Technologies from $155.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BWX Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.58.

BWX Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE BWXT traded down $0.73 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $196.28. 95,029 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,124,087. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $172.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.78, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.60. BWX Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $84.21 and a fifty-two week high of $199.72.

BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $764.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $708.00 million. BWX Technologies had a return on equity of 30.61% and a net margin of 10.28%.The business's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. BWX Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.650-3.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that BWX Technologies will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at BWX Technologies

In other news, SVP Ronald Owen Whitford, Jr. sold 2,092 shares of BWX Technologies stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.43, for a total transaction of $371,183.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 10,149 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,800,737.07. The trade was a 17.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Leland D. Melvin sold 600 shares of BWX Technologies stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.26, for a total transaction of $106,956.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at $994,512.54. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,953 shares of company stock valued at $5,359,758. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BWX Technologies

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BWXT. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in BWX Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $202,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 80.5% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 915 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 11.4% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,508 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 109.6% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 459 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of BWX Technologies by 7,014.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 126,993 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $12,528,000 after acquiring an additional 125,208 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.

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