Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Short Interest Up 1,125.0% in March

Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,900 shares, an increase of 1,125.0% from the February 28th total of 400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 83,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASHTY has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Ashtead Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Ashtead Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Ashtead Group Price Performance

Shares of Ashtead Group stock opened at $227.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.31. Ashtead Group has a one year low of $222.43 and a one year high of $337.95. The stock has a market cap of $24.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $249.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $278.23.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.47 by ($0.38). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 22.65% and a net margin of 14.78%. The company had revenue of $2.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.16 billion. Equities analysts expect that Ashtead Group will post 15.51 EPS for the current year.

About Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.