Baytex Energy Corp. (TSE:BTE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Baytex Energy Corp. (TSE:BTE) (NYSE:BTE) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$6.40.

Several equities analysts recently commented on BTE shares. National Bankshares reduced their price target on Baytex Energy from C$8.25 to C$7.25 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. TD Securities reduced their target price on shares of Baytex Energy from C$6.50 to C$6.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. ATB Capital lowered their price target on shares of Baytex Energy from C$6.50 to C$6.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Baytex Energy from C$8.00 to C$7.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, CIBC decreased their price objective on shares of Baytex Energy from C$8.00 to C$6.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Baytex Energy

In other news, Senior Officer Eric Thomas Greager bought 20,000 shares of Baytex Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of C$4.25 per share, with a total value of C$85,000.00. In other news, Director Tiffany Thom Cepak sold 40,000 shares of Baytex Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$3.55, for a total value of C$142,000.00. Also, Senior Officer Eric Thomas Greager acquired 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$4.25 per share, for a total transaction of C$85,000.00. 0.73% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Baytex Energy Price Performance

Baytex Energy stock opened at C$4.98 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$4.70 and a 200-day moving average of C$4.86. Baytex Energy has a 52-week low of C$3.83 and a 52-week high of C$6.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 63.80. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.09, a PEG ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 2.78.

Baytex Energy (TSE:BTE) (NYSE:BTE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported C$0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.13 by C$0.12. The firm had revenue of C$1.07 billion during the quarter. Baytex Energy had a negative return on equity of 6.81% and a negative net margin of 8.60%. As a group, analysts predict that Baytex Energy will post 0.7398601 EPS for the current year.

Baytex Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.023 dividend. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Baytex Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently -27.27%.

About Baytex Energy

Baytex Energy Corp., an energy company, engages in the acquisition, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin and in the Eagle Ford, the United States. The company offers light oil and condensate, heavy oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas.