BrightSphere Investment Group Inc. (NYSE:BSIG) Short Interest Update

BrightSphere Investment Group Inc. (NYSE:BSIG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,540,000 shares, a growth of 6.9% from the November 30th total of 1,440,000 shares. Approximately 4.2% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 209,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on BSIG. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on BrightSphere Investment Group from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of BrightSphere Investment Group from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $30.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on BrightSphere Investment Group from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $33.00 target price (up from $30.00) on shares of BrightSphere Investment Group in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of BrightSphere Investment Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.50.

Institutional Trading of BrightSphere Investment Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in BrightSphere Investment Group by 2,397.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 2,997 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of BrightSphere Investment Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BrightSphere Investment Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $147,000. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in BrightSphere Investment Group during the third quarter worth approximately $213,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in BrightSphere Investment Group by 67.9% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,802 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,000 after buying an additional 3,561 shares in the last quarter. 98.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BrightSphere Investment Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of BSIG stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $26.34. 255,723 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 253,582. BrightSphere Investment Group has a fifty-two week low of $18.09 and a fifty-two week high of $31.52. The firm has a market cap of $982.96 million, a P/E ratio of 15.96 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $29.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.74.

BrightSphere Investment Group (NYSE:BSIG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $123.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.95 million. BrightSphere Investment Group had a net margin of 13.92% and a return on equity of 7,606.72%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that BrightSphere Investment Group will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BrightSphere Investment Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.15%. BrightSphere Investment Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.42%.

About BrightSphere Investment Group

BrightSphere Investment Group Inc is a publically owned asset management holding company. The firm provides its services to individuals and institutions. It manages separate client focused portfolios through its subsidiaries. The firm also launches equity mutual funds for its clients. It invests in public equity, fixed income, and alternative investment markets through its subsidiaries.