James River Group Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:JRVR) Short Interest Update

James River Group Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:JRVR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,080,000 shares, an increase of 20.7% from the December 15th total of 894,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 374,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

James River Group Price Performance

Shares of James River Group stock opened at $4.79 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. James River Group has a twelve month low of $4.35 and a twelve month high of $11.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $4.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.25.

James River Group (NASDAQ:JRVR) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 11th. The insurance provider reported ($0.74) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.89). James River Group had a negative net margin of 20.84% and a positive return on equity of 3.90%. The firm had revenue of $191.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $137.28 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that James River Group will post -0.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

James River Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. James River Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -0.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, JMP Securities reduced their price target on James River Group from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $10.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James River Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of James River Group by 232.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 171,529 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 119,901 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in James River Group by 39.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 90,838 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 25,738 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of James River Group in the 3rd quarter worth $157,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of James River Group by 2,512.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,377,017 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $10,644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,324,309 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of James River Group by 288.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,940 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 32,621 shares during the last quarter. 95.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

James River Group Company Profile

James River Group Holdings, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides specialty insurance services. It operates through Excess and Surplus Lines, and Specialty Admitted Insurance segments. The Excess and Surplus Lines segment underwrites liability and property insurance in the United States Puerto Rice, and the United States Virgin Islands.