Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,610,000 shares, a growth of 16.4% from the October 15th total of 5,680,000 shares. Approximately 4.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HLX shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Helix Energy Solutions Group from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Helix Energy Solutions Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

Insider Transactions at Helix Energy Solutions Group

In other news, CEO Owen E. Kratz sold 298,419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.92, for a total value of $3,557,154.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 7,171,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,488,571.20. This represents a 3.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC lifted its position in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 10.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 49,348 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 40,535 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 24.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,379 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 10.2% in the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 15,039 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares in the last quarter. 91.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group stock opened at $9.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 248.81 and a beta of 2.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $10.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.84. Helix Energy Solutions Group has a 1 year low of $8.82 and a 1 year high of $13.05.

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $342.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $354.74 million. Helix Energy Solutions Group had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 4.39%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Helix Energy Solutions Group will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments.