CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE:CEIX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE:CEIX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,820,000 shares, a growth of 15.2% from the September 30th total of 1,580,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 458,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.0 days. Currently, 6.3% of the company's stock are short sold.

CONSOL Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CEIX traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $110.38. The stock had a trading volume of 357,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 477,645. The firm has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 1.73. CONSOL Energy has a fifty-two week low of $75.43 and a fifty-two week high of $114.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $100.86 and a 200-day moving average of $96.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CONSOL Energy (NYSE:CEIX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.68. CONSOL Energy had a return on equity of 30.50% and a net margin of 18.28%. The business had revenue of $501.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $429.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.94 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that CONSOL Energy will post 11.53 earnings per share for the current year.

CONSOL Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a Variable dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. CONSOL Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1.52%.

Institutional Trading of CONSOL Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CONSOL Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,619,000. Hi Line Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CONSOL Energy in the third quarter valued at $3,305,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its position in shares of CONSOL Energy by 86.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 5,668 shares of the company's stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 2,623 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CONSOL Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $10,032,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of CONSOL Energy by 362.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,245 shares of the company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, B. Riley upped their price objective on shares of CONSOL Energy from $109.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th.

About CONSOL Energy

CONSOL Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells bituminous coal in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pennsylvania Mining Complex (PAMC) and CONSOL Marine Terminal. The company's PAMC segment engages in the mining, preparing, and marketing of bituminous coal to power generators, industrial end-users, and metallurgical end-users.