2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

2U, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWOU) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 423,100 shares, a decline of 95.8% from the May 31st total of 10,000,000 shares. Currently, 16.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 68,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days.

2U Price Performance

NASDAQ TWOU opened at $5.13 on Friday. 2U has a twelve month low of $4.85 and a twelve month high of $144.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $8.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.29.

2U (NASDAQ:TWOU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The software maker reported ($8.10) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($11.10) by $3.00. 2U had a negative net margin of 35.13% and a negative return on equity of 10.90%. The firm had revenue of $198.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.32 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that 2U will post -9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on TWOU. StockNews.com began coverage on 2U in a report on Friday, June 21st. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of 2U in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, 2U currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 2U

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keynote Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in 2U during the 1st quarter worth approximately $69,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of 2U by 232.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 361,725 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 252,800 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 2U by 76.1% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 627,394 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 271,133 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of 2U by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,331,482 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 438,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of 2U during the 4th quarter valued at $399,000. 80.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About 2U

2U, Inc operates as an online education platform company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Degree Program and Alternative Credential. The Degree Program segment provides the technology and services to nonprofit colleges and universities to enable the online delivery of degree programs.