Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) saw a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 544,400 shares, an increase of 34.8% from the January 31st total of 403,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 368,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $37.00 price objective on shares of Clearwater Paper in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised Clearwater Paper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th.

Insider Transactions at Clearwater Paper

In other Clearwater Paper news, SVP Kari G. Moyes sold 2,778 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.72, for a total value of $74,228.16. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 83,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,239,109.28. This represents a 3.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clearwater Paper

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Clearwater Paper in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new stake in Clearwater Paper in the 3rd quarter valued at about $209,000. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Clearwater Paper in the 4th quarter valued at about $226,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in Clearwater Paper by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,900 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in Clearwater Paper in the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Clearwater Paper Trading Up 2.8 %

NYSE CLW opened at $25.78 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $417.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.35. Clearwater Paper has a one year low of $23.92 and a one year high of $57.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average is $29.56 and its 200-day moving average is $28.71.

Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.33) by ($0.84). Clearwater Paper had a negative return on equity of 1.87% and a net margin of 10.54%.

About Clearwater Paper

Clearwater Paper Corporation manufactures and supplies bleached paperboards, and consumer and parent roll tissues in the United States and internationally. It operates through Pulp and Paperboard, and Consumer Products segments. The Pulp and Paperboard segment manufactures and markets bleached paperboard; Solid Bleached Sulfate paperboard that is used to produce folding cartons, liquid packaging, cups and plates, blister and carded packaging, and top sheet and commercial printing items; and hardwood and softwood pulp, as well as offers services that include custom sheeting, slitting, and cutting.