Short Interest in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) Drops By 22.5%

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,550,000 shares, a decline of 22.5% from the February 13th total of 2,000,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 647,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 3.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Lake Street Capital cut their price target on shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Craig Hallum cut shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Smith & Wesson Brands Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of SWBI stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.83. 153,354 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 455,941. Smith & Wesson Brands has a 12 month low of $9.17 and a 12 month high of $18.05. The company has a market cap of $432.33 million, a P/E ratio of 12.59 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 3.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $10.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.84.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02. The firm had revenue of $115.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $119.46 million. Smith & Wesson Brands had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 8.78%. On average, equities analysts expect that Smith & Wesson Brands will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Smith & Wesson Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Smith & Wesson Brands’s payout ratio is 80.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Smith & Wesson Brands

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Smith & Wesson Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Smith & Wesson Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 238.6% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 3,476 shares during the last quarter. Caption Management LLC purchased a new position in Smith & Wesson Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.33% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Wesson Brands Company Profile

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, design, and provision of firearms. Its portfolio includes handguns, long guns, handcuffs, suppressor, and other firearm-related products. The firm’s brands are Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech.