Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,110,000 shares, a growth of 48.1% from the October 15th total of 2,100,000 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Insider Transactions at Keysight Technologies

In other news, Director Richard P. Hamada sold 1,632 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.00, for a total transaction of $254,592.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,160 shares in the company, valued at $6,576,960. This represents a 3.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Keysight Technologies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KEYS. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Keysight Technologies by 7.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,400,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $697,411,000 after purchasing an additional 323,235 shares during the period. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Keysight Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Executive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Keysight Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Peloton Wealth Strategists increased its stake in Keysight Technologies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Peloton Wealth Strategists now owns 4,845 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $770,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in Keysight Technologies by 76.6% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 21,753 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 9,437 shares during the last quarter. 84.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Keysight Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Vertical Research started coverage on Keysight Technologies in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Keysight Technologies from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Keysight Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Keysight Technologies from $163.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Keysight Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.89.

Keysight Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KEYS traded down $4.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $149.37. 1,282,196 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,174,195. Keysight Technologies has a twelve month low of $119.72 and a twelve month high of $166.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.98. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $155.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.22. Keysight Technologies had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 18.24%. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.04 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Keysight Technologies will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Keysight Technologies Company Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.