StockNews.com Upgrades Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) to “Buy”

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Koninklijke Philips from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Koninklijke Philips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Koninklijke Philips Price Performance

NYSE:PHG opened at $26.75 on Friday. Koninklijke Philips has a 52-week low of $19.10 and a 52-week high of $32.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.54 and a 200 day moving average of $27.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.78.

Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The technology company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.01). Koninklijke Philips had a negative net margin of 3.88% and a positive return on equity of 10.85%. The firm had revenue of $5.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.10 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Koninklijke Philips Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.886 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. Koninklijke Philips’s payout ratio is -89.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHG. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 724.0% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,409 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,238 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Koninklijke Philips during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Koninklijke Philips by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,150 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 582 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Koninklijke Philips in the fourth quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Koninklijke Philips during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 13.67% of the company’s stock.

Koninklijke Philips Company Profile

Koninklijke Philips N.V. operates as a health technology company in North America, the Greater China, and internationally. The company operates through Diagnosis & Treatment Businesses, Connected Care Businesses, and Personal Health Businesses segments. It also provides diagnostic imaging solutions, includes magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray systems, and computed tomography (CT) systems and software comprising detector-based spectral CT solutions, as well as molecular and hybrid imaging solutions for nuclear medicine; echography solutions focused on diagnosis, treatment planning and guidance for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and point-of-care applications; integrated interventional systems, and interventional diagnostic and therapeutic devices to treat coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease.