Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Bristow Group Inc. $VTOL

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,984,961 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 91,116 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 6.86% of Bristow Group worth $71,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Taconic Capital Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Bristow Group by 6.4% during the second quarter. Taconic Capital Advisors LP now owns 1,331,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,885,000 after purchasing an additional 80,000 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 21.3% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,224,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,387,000 after purchasing an additional 215,214 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bristow Group by 13.1% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 749,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,717,000 after buying an additional 86,673 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bristow Group by 9.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 624,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,588,000 after buying an additional 51,594 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its stake in Bristow Group by 112.6% during the second quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 250,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,274,000 after buying an additional 132,926 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.29% of the company’s stock.

Bristow Group Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE VTOL opened at $44.52 on Friday. Bristow Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $25.11 and a 1-year high of $49.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The business’s 50 day moving average is $42.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 1.35.

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $377.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.33 million. Bristow Group had a return on equity of 12.87% and a net margin of 8.66%.

Bristow Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lorin L. Brass sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.04, for a total value of $159,380.00. Following the sale, the director owned 18,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $905,033.20. This represents a 14.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Stuart Stavley sold 24,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.02, for a total transaction of $1,171,174.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 85,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,033,845.80. This trade represents a 22.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 60,104 shares of company stock valued at $2,824,206 over the last 90 days. 13.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Bristow Group in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bristow Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Bristow Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bristow Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, JonesTrading began coverage on shares of Bristow Group in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.00.

About Bristow Group

Bristow Group Inc is a global provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry and search-and-rescue (SAR) operations worldwide. The company specializes in the safe and efficient transport of personnel, equipment and supplies to offshore oil and gas platforms, as well as emergency response and medevac services. Bristow’s operations support exploration, production and decommissioning activities, helping energy companies maintain continuity of production in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

The company maintains a diverse fleet of turbine-powered helicopters, including medium- and heavy-lift aircraft such as the Sikorsky S-92, Airbus H225 (formerly EC225) and Leonardo AW189.