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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,568 ($20.27), for a total value of £2,601,155.20 ($3,363,272.82).

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 ($20.13), for a total value of £2,424,513.69 ($3,134,876.76).

BAE Systems Price Performance

Shares of BA stock opened at GBX 1,564.50 ($20.23) on Monday. BAE Systems plc has a 1 year low of GBX 1,012.50 ($13.09) and a 1 year high of GBX 1,415.25 ($18.30). The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 94.02. The firm’s 50 day moving average is GBX 1,390.85 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 1,303.94. The firm has a market capitalization of £48.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.33.

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

BAE Systems Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of BAE Systems from GBX 1,630 ($21.08) to GBX 1,725 ($22.30) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,440 ($18.62) target price on shares of BAE Systems in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 1,510 ($19.52) price target on shares of BAE Systems in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 1,528.75 ($19.77).

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.