Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU) Shares Sold by Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.

Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE:BBU) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,866 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 982 shares during the period. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc.’s holdings in Brookfield Business Partners were worth $1,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BBU. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Brookfield Business Partners by 1.5% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 40,726 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $770,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the period. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV increased its stake in Brookfield Business Partners by 24.5% in the third quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 40,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $890,000 after purchasing an additional 7,939 shares during the period. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Brookfield Business Partners by 29.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 117,189 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,731,000 after acquiring an additional 26,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gold Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Brookfield Business Partners by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 31,501 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $739,000 after acquiring an additional 2,169 shares in the last quarter. 85.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brookfield Business Partners Price Performance

BBU opened at $21.94 on Wednesday. Brookfield Business Partners L.P. has a 1-year low of $16.85 and a 1-year high of $26.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.40 and a 200-day moving average of $22.33.

Brookfield Business Partners (NYSE:BBU) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The business services provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.39. Brookfield Business Partners had a return on equity of 30.68% and a net margin of 11.77%. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Brookfield Business Partners L.P. will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brookfield Business Partners Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.063 dividend. This is a boost from Brookfield Business Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Brookfield Business Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Brookfield Business Partners from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Brookfield Business Partners from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brookfield Business Partners currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $32.80.

About Brookfield Business Partners

Brookfield Business Partners L.P. is a private equity firm specializing in acquisition. The firm typically invests in business services, infrastructure services, construction, energy, and industrials sector. It prefers to take majority stake in companies. The firm seeks returns of at least 15% on its investments.