Bristow Group Inc. $VTOL Shares Sold by Empyrean Capital Partners LP

Empyrean Capital Partners LP lessened its stake in shares of Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,170,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 44,599 shares during the quarter. Bristow Group makes up 1.8% of Empyrean Capital Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Empyrean Capital Partners LP’s holdings in Bristow Group were worth $54,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Bristow Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,521,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Bristow Group by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,056,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,313,000 after buying an additional 71,638 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bristow Group during the fourth quarter worth $616,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 130,735 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,795,000 after buying an additional 32,623 shares during the period. Finally, Van Den Berg Management I Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bristow Group by 49.1% in the 1st quarter. Van Den Berg Management I Inc. now owns 92,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,357,000 after buying an additional 30,599 shares during the period. 93.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bristow Group Stock Performance

Shares of VTOL stock opened at $46.21 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Bristow Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.76 and a 52 week high of $50.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.29.

Bristow Group (NYSE:VTOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.57). Bristow Group had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $388.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.68 million. On average, research analysts predict that Bristow Group Inc. will post 3.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristow Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Bristow Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Bristow Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bristow Group in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Bristow Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bristow Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.00.

Bristow Group Profile

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.