Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:NWL) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:NWL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 17,900,000 shares, a growth of 32.8% from the January 31st total of 13,480,000 shares. Approximately 4.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 7,410,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Newell Brands from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Newell Brands from $10.50 to $7.75 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Newell Brands from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Newell Brands from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Newell Brands from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $10.81.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Newell Brands

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Newell Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Newell Brands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Newell Brands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $70,000. Claro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Newell Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Newell Brands by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 7,912 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 4,617 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.50% of the company's stock.

Newell Brands Price Performance

NWL traded up $0.06 on Friday, hitting $6.75. 8,273,723 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,077,657. Newell Brands has a fifty-two week low of $5.39 and a fifty-two week high of $11.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.88. The business's fifty day moving average is $8.68 and its 200 day moving average is $8.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 7th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. Newell Brands had a positive return on equity of 9.76% and a negative net margin of 2.85%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Newell Brands will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Newell Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Newell Brands's payout ratio is currently -53.85%.

Newell Brands Company Profile

Newell Brands Inc engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, and distribution of consumer and commercial products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solution products under the Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Mapa, and Spontex brands; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; household products, such as kitchen appliances under the Crockpot, Mr.