Bentley Systems (NASDAQ:BSY) Shares Down 5.1% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Bentley Systems, Incorporated (NASDAQ:BSY) were down 5.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $31.69 and last traded at $31.7390. Approximately 297,502 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 3,066,493 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on BSY shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Bentley Systems from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Bentley Systems in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Bentley Systems from $65.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Bentley Systems from $62.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Bentley Systems in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.50.

Bentley Systems Trading Down 6.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $35.55 and its 200 day moving average is $41.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.16.

Bentley Systems (NASDAQ:BSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27. Bentley Systems had a net margin of 18.50% and a return on equity of 28.82%. The business had revenue of $391.58 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $381.79 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.21 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Bentley Systems, Incorporated will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Bentley Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Bentley Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bentley Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Bentley Systems by 10.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,607,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $957,922,000 after acquiring an additional 1,792,591 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its holdings in shares of Bentley Systems by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 8,589,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,807,000 after acquiring an additional 1,338,706 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Bentley Systems by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,468,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,060,000 after buying an additional 216,257 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Bentley Systems by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,185,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,584,000 after buying an additional 259,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bentley Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $150,903,000. 44.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Bentley Systems

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.