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

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 stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,568 ($20.30), for a total transaction of £2,601,155.20 ($3,366,755.37).

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

• On Wednesday, March 12th, Tom Arseneault sold 155,717 shares of BAE Systems stock. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,557 ($20.15), for a total transaction of £2,424,513.69 ($3,138,122.82).

BAE Systems Stock Down 1.3 %

BA stock opened at GBX 1,564.50 ($20.25) on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 1,390.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 1,303.92. 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 has a market capitalization of £48.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 94.02.

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

BAE Systems Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BA shares. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,440 ($18.64) target price on shares of BAE Systems in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,510 ($19.54) target price on shares of BAE Systems in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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 report on Monday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 1,528.75 ($19.79).

BAE Systems Company Profile

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.