Bentley Systems Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:BSY)

Bentley Systems, Incorporated (NASDAQ:BSY) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 10,130 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 3,584% compared to the average daily volume of 275 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Bentley Systems from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reduced their target price on Bentley Systems from $43.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Bentley Systems from $49.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Bentley Systems from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Bentley Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.50.

Bentley Systems Price Performance

NASDAQ BSY remained flat at $32.26 during trading on Friday. 3,927,087 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,697,978. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $31.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.03. Bentley Systems has a twelve month low of $28.08 and a twelve month high of $59.25. The firm has a market cap of $9.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51.

Bentley Systems (NASDAQ:BSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $424.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $419.80 million. Bentley Systems had a return on equity of 28.65% and a net margin of 18.12%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.35 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Bentley Systems will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bentley Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Bentley Systems’s payout ratio is presently 31.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bentley Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Bentley Systems by 54,633.0% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 298,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,384,000 after purchasing an additional 297,750 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Bentley Systems by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 171,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 30,972 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama bought a new position in Bentley Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,822,000. Fieldview Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Bentley Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,574,000. Finally, Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in Bentley Systems by 106.8% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 61,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,334,000 after buying an additional 31,576 shares during the period. 44.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Bentley Systems Company Profile

Bentley Systems, Inc is a global software provider specializing in infrastructure engineering applications for the design, construction, and operations of roads, bridges, rail and transit systems, water and wastewater networks, power plants and grids, industrial facilities, and communications infrastructure. Founded in 1984 by brothers Keith and Barry Bentley, the company is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, and maintains offices and development centers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.