Babcock International Group (LON:BAB) Reaches New 12-Month High After Dividend Announcement

Babcock International Group PLC (LON:BAB) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as GBX 594 ($7.64) and last traded at GBX 555 ($7.14), with a volume of 43351195 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 499.20 ($6.42).

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of GBX 2 ($0.03) per share. This represents a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. Babcock International Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,562.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on BAB. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 660 ($8.49) price target on shares of Babcock International Group in a report on Monday, September 2nd. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 565 ($7.27) price target on shares of Babcock International Group in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Babcock International Group in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Babcock International Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 585.80 ($7.54).

Babcock International Group Trading Down 0.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 245.75, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of £2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 1,593.75, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 481.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 511.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Babcock International Group

In related news, insider David Lockwood sold 395,007 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 529 ($6.81), for a total transaction of £2,089,587.03 ($2,688,955.13). Also, insider David Mellors sold 276,512 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 501 ($6.45), for a total transaction of £1,385,325.12 ($1,782,685.78). Corporate insiders own 0.78% of the company’s stock.

About Babcock International Group

Babcock International Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, provides value-add services for aerospace, defense, and security in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Africa, North America, Australasia, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Marine, Nuclear, Land, and Aviation.