Wall Street Zen Upgrades Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) to Strong-Buy

Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Ducommun from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Ducommun from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ducommun in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Ducommun from $117.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Ducommun in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $113.00.

Ducommun Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE DCO opened at $121.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Ducommun has a 12-month low of $51.76 and a 12-month high of $123.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $102.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.87 and a beta of 1.05.

Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The aerospace company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.04. Ducommun had a positive return on equity of 7.70% and a negative net margin of 4.29%.The company had revenue of $212.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $211.41 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ducommun will post 3.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ducommun

In related news, VP Jerry L. Redondo sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.86, for a total value of $185,720.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 65,269 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,060,879.34. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 8.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ducommun

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ducommun by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in Ducommun by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 103,916 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ducommun during the 4th quarter worth $685,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Ducommun by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 62,796 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,079,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of Ducommun by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 8,100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. 92.15% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ducommun

Ducommun Incorporated, through its Electronics and Structures segments, provides engineered products and integrated systems for the global aerospace, defense and space markets. The Electronics segment focuses on high-reliability electronic assemblies, cable and wire harnesses, connector systems and harsh environment electronics for flight-critical applications. In the Structures segment, Ducommun manufactures complex metallic and composite components such as flight control surfaces, skin panels, heat exchangers and other aerostructures for commercial and military platforms.

Founded in 1849 in California as a hardware and stagecoach parts supplier, Ducommun expanded into aerospace manufacturing during World War II and has since grown its capabilities through targeted acquisitions and organic investments.