Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Howmet Aerospace Inc. (NYSE:HWM) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $129.95 and last traded at $128.11, with a volume of 3329770 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $129.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on HWM. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Howmet Aerospace from $105.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Howmet Aerospace from $129.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on Howmet Aerospace from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Howmet Aerospace from $103.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Howmet Aerospace from $113.00 to $144.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.71.

Howmet Aerospace Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.05 billion, a PE ratio of 48.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $118.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.45.

Howmet Aerospace Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. This is a positive change from Howmet Aerospace’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Howmet Aerospace’s dividend payout ratio is 12.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Howmet Aerospace

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HWM. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace by 208.1% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Howmet Aerospace in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Howmet Aerospace in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Howmet Aerospace in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 90.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Howmet Aerospace

Howmet Aerospace Inc provides advanced engineered solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries in the United States, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Poland, China, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Engine Products, Fastening Systems, Engineered Structures, and Forged Wheels.