Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Buys New Holdings in The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF)

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 748,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,789,000. The Shyft Group accounts for 0.8% of Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. owned about 2.17% of The Shyft Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SHYF. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of The Shyft Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in The Shyft Group by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 350,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,112,000 after purchasing an additional 55,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in The Shyft Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,773,705 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,823,000 after purchasing an additional 13,263 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in The Shyft Group by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 58,275 shares of the company's stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 4,256 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of The Shyft Group during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. 85.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SHYF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of The Shyft Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. DA Davidson raised The Shyft Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th.

The Shyft Group Stock Down 7.2 %

Shares of The Shyft Group stock traded down $0.65 on Friday, hitting $8.35. The company had a trading volume of 191,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,245. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $10.72 and a 200-day moving average of $11.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The Shyft Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $8.26 and a twelve month high of $17.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $291.68 million, a P/E ratio of -92.77 and a beta of 1.69.

The Shyft Group (NASDAQ:SHYF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.09). The Shyft Group had a positive return on equity of 2.75% and a negative net margin of 0.36%. The firm had revenue of $201.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $211.90 million. Research analysts predict that The Shyft Group, Inc. will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current year.

The Shyft Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The Shyft Group's dividend payout ratio is currently -222.22%.

About The Shyft Group

The Shyft Group, Inc engages in the manufacture and assembly of specialty vehicles for the commercial and recreational vehicle industries in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Fleet Vehicles and Services, and Specialty Vehicles. The Fleet Vehicles and Services segment offers commercial vehicles used in the e-commerce/last mile/parcel delivery, beverage and grocery delivery, laundry and linen, mobile retail, and trades and construction industries.