Chico’s FAS, Inc. (NYSE:CHS) Short Interest Up 12.1% in October

Chico’s FAS, Inc. (NYSE:CHS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,720,000 shares, an increase of 12.1% from the October 15th total of 7,780,000 shares. Currently, 7.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Chico’s FAS Trading Up 0.8 %

CHS stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $7.52. 5,010,876 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,364,157. The firm has a market capitalization of $928.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.03 and a beta of 1.08. Chico’s FAS has a 52-week low of $4.33 and a 52-week high of $7.54. The business has a 50 day moving average of $6.66 and a 200-day moving average of $5.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Chico’s FAS (NYSE:CHS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.01. Chico’s FAS had a return on equity of 29.62% and a net margin of 6.19%. The company had revenue of $545.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $554.90 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.34 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Chico’s FAS will post 0.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Chico’s FAS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Chico’s FAS by 13.3% during the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 15,386 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 1,802 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Chico’s FAS by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 15,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Chico’s FAS by 8.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 29,136 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 2,198 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of Chico’s FAS by 5.7% during the second quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 40,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 2,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Chico’s FAS by 20.6% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 14,093 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 2,404 shares during the period. 89.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Chico’s FAS in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. B. Riley downgraded Chico’s FAS from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Chico’s FAS from $6.00 to $7.60 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 29th.

About Chico’s FAS

Chico's FAS, Inc operates as an omnichannel specialty retailer of women's private branded casual-to-dressy clothing, intimates, and complementary accessories in the United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands; and franchise locations in Mexico and domestic airports. The company operates under the Chico's, White House Black Market (WHBM), and Soma brands.