Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) Short Interest Up 36.1% in February

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,000,000 shares, an increase of 36.1% from the January 31st total of 1,470,000 shares. Currently, 4.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 592,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SWBI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Craig Hallum cut Smith & Wesson Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Lake Street Capital raised Smith & Wesson Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Smith & Wesson Brands Stock Performance

Smith & Wesson Brands stock opened at $10.75 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $473.03 million, a P/E ratio of 13.78 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.18. Smith & Wesson Brands has a 52 week low of $9.68 and a 52 week high of $18.05. The company has a current ratio of 3.97, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $129.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $133.53 million. Smith & Wesson Brands had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Smith & Wesson Brands will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Smith & Wesson Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 19th. Smith & Wesson Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smith & Wesson Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SWBI. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 1,198.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Smith & Wesson Brands during the third quarter valued at about $175,000. Verity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Smith & Wesson Brands during the third quarter valued at about $183,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 380.9% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 62,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 49,264 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 5.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 73,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $960,000 after acquiring an additional 3,752 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.33% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Wesson Brands Company Profile

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, design, and provision of firearms. Its portfolio includes handguns, long guns, handcuffs, suppressor, and other firearm-related products. The firm’s brands are Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech.