Short Interest in Phibro Animal Health Co. (NASDAQ:PAHC) Drops By 23.1%

Phibro Animal Health Co. (NASDAQ:PAHC) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 726,000 shares, a decline of 23.1% from the February 28th total of 943,800 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 249,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Phibro Animal Health Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PAHC opened at $21.17 on Monday. Phibro Animal Health has a 1 year low of $12.17 and a 1 year high of $26.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $22.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.69. The company has a market cap of $857.45 million, a P/E ratio of 43.21, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.99, a current ratio of 3.20 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Phibro Animal Health (NASDAQ:PAHC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. Phibro Animal Health had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 25.35%. Sell-side analysts expect that Phibro Animal Health will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Phibro Animal Health Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Phibro Animal Health’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Phibro Animal Health

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Phibro Animal Health during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Phibro Animal Health by 2,739.7% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Phibro Animal Health during the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Phibro Animal Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Phibro Animal Health in the third quarter worth approximately $70,000. 99.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Phibro Animal Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Phibro Animal Health from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Phibro Animal Health from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

Phibro Animal Health Company Profile

Phibro Animal Health Corporation operates as an animal health and mineral nutrition company in the United States, Israel, Brazil, Ireland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Animal Health, Mineral Nutrition, and Performance Products. The company develops, manufactures, and markets various products for food and companion animals including poultry, swine, beef and dairy cattle, aquaculture, and dogs.