Short Interest in Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ:GSM) Expands By 25.3%

Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ:GSM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,080,000 shares, a growth of 25.3% from the February 13th total of 1,660,000 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 983,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GSM. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ferroglobe in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. LPL Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Barclays PLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, RPO LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. 89.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GSM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Ferroglobe from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Ferroglobe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

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Ferroglobe Stock Down 5.3 %

NASDAQ:GSM traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $3.86. 440,971 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,174,758. The firm has a market cap of $724.30 million, a P/E ratio of 192.75 and a beta of 1.89. Ferroglobe has a twelve month low of $3.23 and a twelve month high of $6.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.82. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $3.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.12.

Ferroglobe (NASDAQ:GSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.04. Ferroglobe had a return on equity of 6.36% and a net margin of 0.32%. The company had revenue of $367.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $393.00 million. On average, research analysts expect that Ferroglobe will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ferroglobe Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.014 dividend. This is a positive change from Ferroglobe's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Ferroglobe's dividend payout ratio is presently 250.00%.

About Ferroglobe

Ferroglobe PLC produces and sells silicon metal, and silicon and manganese-based ferroalloys in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It provides silicone chemicals that are used in a range of applications, including personal care items, construction-related products, health care products, and electronics; and silicon metal for primary and secondary aluminum producers.