Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,120,000 shares, a growth of 6.9% from the August 15th total of 8,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,790,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Catalent Stock Performance

Shares of Catalent stock traded up $0.23 on Tuesday, reaching $60.39. The stock had a trading volume of 2,170,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,103,513. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.52. The business's 50-day moving average price is $59.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.15. The stock has a market cap of $10.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.15. Catalent has a fifty-two week low of $31.80 and a fifty-two week high of $61.20.

Insider Activity

In other Catalent news, SVP Scott Gunther sold 666 shares of Catalent stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.55, for a total transaction of $39,660.30. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 39,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,360,264.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Ricky Hopson sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.56, for a total transaction of $39,428.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,974 shares in the company, valued at $1,785,251.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Scott Gunther sold 666 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.55, for a total value of $39,660.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 39,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,360,264.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 13,409 shares of company stock worth $782,923 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Catalent during the fourth quarter valued at about $116,021,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Catalent by 129.2% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,079,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,416,000 after purchasing an additional 2,299,784 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Catalent by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 19,079,994 shares of the company's stock worth $857,264,000 after buying an additional 1,098,474 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Catalent in the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,429,000. Finally, Cadian Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Catalent by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Cadian Capital Management LP now owns 6,064,384 shares of the company's stock worth $272,473,000 after buying an additional 759,600 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Catalent from $47.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. William Blair restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Catalent in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $63.50 price objective on shares of Catalent in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Catalent in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued a "sell" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $58.08.

About Catalent

Catalent, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures solutions for drugs, protein-based biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Biologics, and Pharma and Consumer Health. The Biologics segment provides formulation, development, and manufacturing for biologic proteins, cell gene, and other nucleic acid therapies; pDNA, iPSCs, oncolytic viruses, and vaccines; formulation, development, and manufacturing for parenteral dose forms, including vials, prefilled syringes, and cartridges; and analytical development and testing services for large molecules.