Short Interest in Bassett Furniture Industries, Incorporated (NASDAQ:BSET) Drops By 7.6%

Bassett Furniture Industries, Incorporated (NASDAQ:BSET - Get Free Report) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 39,000 shares, a decline of 7.6% from the December 31st total of 42,200 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 13,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Bassett Furniture Industries Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BSET traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.15. 6,949 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,242. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.52 million, a P/E ratio of -12.86, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.14 and a 200 day moving average of $14.03. Bassett Furniture Industries has a 12 month low of $12.10 and a 12 month high of $15.96.

Bassett Furniture Industries (NASDAQ:BSET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.33. Bassett Furniture Industries had a negative return on equity of 2.42% and a negative net margin of 2.94%. On average, analysts predict that Bassett Furniture Industries will post 0.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bassett Furniture Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Bassett Furniture Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently -72.73%.

Institutional Trading of Bassett Furniture Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Bassett Furniture Industries by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 26,554 shares of the company's stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Bassett Furniture Industries in the fourth quarter worth $180,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in Bassett Furniture Industries by 51.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,124 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 3,459 shares during the period. 54.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Bassett Furniture Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

About Bassett Furniture Industries

Bassett Furniture Industries, Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and retails home furnishings in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Wholesale, Retail Company-Owned Stores, and Corporate and Other. The company engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, sale, and distribution of furniture products, including dining, bedroom and bedding, home decorations, rugs, and outdoor furniture to a network of company-owned retail stores, licensee-owned stores, and independent retailers.