Tom Arseneault Sells 165,890 Shares of BAE Systems plc (LON:BA) Stock

BAE Systems plc (LON:BA) insider Tom Arseneault sold 165,890 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,568 ($20.30), for a total value of £2,601,155.20 ($3,367,627.14).

Tom Arseneault also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 12th, Tom Arseneault sold 155,717 shares of BAE Systems stock. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,557 ($20.16), for a total value of £2,424,513.69 ($3,138,935.38).

BAE Systems Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of BAE Systems stock traded up GBX 9 ($0.12) during trading on Friday, hitting GBX 1,584.50 ($20.51). 5,952,204 shares of the stock traded hands. BAE Systems plc has a 52-week low of GBX 1,012.50 ($13.11) and a 52-week high of GBX 1,415.25 ($18.32). The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 1,383.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 1,301.85. The firm has a market cap of £49.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 94.02.

BAE Systems (LON:BA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported GBX 68.50 ($0.89) EPS for the quarter. BAE Systems had a net margin of 7.49% and a return on equity of 16.87%. On average, equities analysts predict that BAE Systems plc will post 73.537927 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BAE Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of GBX 20.60 ($0.27) per share. This represents a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This is a boost from BAE Systems’s previous dividend of $12.40. BAE Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on BA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on BAE Systems from GBX 1,630 ($21.10) to GBX 1,725 ($22.33) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,440 ($18.64) price objective on shares of BAE Systems in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 1,510 ($19.55) price objective on shares of BAE Systems in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 1,528.75 ($19.79).

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems plc provides defense, aerospace, and security solutions worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Electronic Systems, Platforms & Services, Air, Maritime, and Cyber & Intelligence. The Electronic Systems segment offers electronic warfare systems, navigation systems, electro-optical sensors, military and commercial digital engine and flight controls, precision guidance and seeker solutions, military communication systems and data links, persistent surveillance capabilities, space electronics, and electric drive propulsion systems.