Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP) (TSE:BIP.UN) had its price target raised by Scotiabank from $38.00 to $41.00 in a report published on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on BIP. TD Securities boosted their price target on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 1st. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Brookfield Infrastructure Partners from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:BIP opened at $33.16 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 829.18 and a beta of 1.08. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners has a 12-month low of $24.84 and a 12-month high of $36.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP) (TSE:BIP.UN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.58. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had a return on equity of 1.17% and a net margin of 1.64%. Analysts predict that Brookfield Infrastructure Partners will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.19%. This is a positive change from Brookfield Infrastructure Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners’s payout ratio is presently 4,051.01%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC bought a new stake in Brookfield Infrastructure Partners during the third quarter worth $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Brookfield Infrastructure Partners during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 57.92% of the company’s stock.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Company Profile

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, midstream, and data businesses in North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Utilities segment operates approximately 2,900 km of electricity transmission lines; 4,200 km of natural gas pipelines; 8.1 million electricity and natural gas connections; and 0.6 million long-term contracted sub-metering services.