Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) Stock Price Passes Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Hillenbrand Inc (NYSE:HI) crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.66 and traded as low as $31.65. Hillenbrand shares last traded at $31.6650, with a volume of 592,557 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HI shares. CJS Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of Hillenbrand in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hillenbrand in a report on Tuesday. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Hillenbrand in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Hillenbrand from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Hillenbrand presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

Hillenbrand Trading Up 0.0%

The firm has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.95 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $31.67 and a 200 day moving average of $26.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $652.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $592.25 million. Hillenbrand had a net margin of 1.61% and a return on equity of 12.69%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 22.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.01 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Hillenbrand Inc will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hillenbrand Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.2275 per share. This represents a $0.91 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from Hillenbrand’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. Hillenbrand’s payout ratio is 149.18%.

Institutional Trading of Hillenbrand

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hillenbrand by 203.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hillenbrand by 74.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of Hillenbrand by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Hillenbrand by 622.7% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 3,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Hillenbrand by 47.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,315 shares during the period. 89.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hillenbrand Company Profile

Hillenbrand, Inc, headquartered in Batesville, Indiana, is a global industrial company specializing in engineered equipment and process solutions. Through its Coperion division, Hillenbrand designs and manufactures compounding and extrusion systems, polymer and food processing equipment, bulk material handling technologies and associated automation. These offerings support a variety of end markets, including plastics, chemicals, food, pharmaceutical and minerals, helping customers optimize production efficiency and product quality.

Tracing its roots to the Batesville Casket Company founded in 1906, the organization evolved through strategic acquisitions and expanded its focus on process technologies.