ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM) Short Interest Update

ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,540,000 shares, an increase of 28.3% from the December 15th total of 1,200,000 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 378,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days.

ABM Industries Price Performance

Shares of ABM stock traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $53.14. 204,937 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 404,666. The company has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. ABM Industries has a 12-month low of $39.64 and a 12-month high of $59.78. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $54.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.54.

ABM Industries (NYSE:ABM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, December 18th. The business services provider reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.03. ABM Industries had a net margin of 0.97% and a return on equity of 12.48%. The company had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ABM Industries will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

ABM Industries Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This is a boost from ABM Industries's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. ABM Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 83.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, UBS Group raised their price target on ABM Industries from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at ABM Industries

In other news, CAO Dean A. Chin sold 4,281 shares of ABM Industries stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.36, for a total transaction of $224,153.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 18,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $978,137.16. The trade was a 18.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of ABM Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Adirondack Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of ABM Industries by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 900 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Burney Co. boosted its position in ABM Industries by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 16,449 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $842,000 after buying an additional 2,210 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in ABM Industries in the 4th quarter worth $392,000. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in ABM Industries by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 10,682 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of ABM Industries by 4.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 327,631 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $17,286,000 after buying an additional 15,438 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.62% of the company's stock.

About ABM Industries

ABM Industries Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of integrated facility, infrastructure, and mobility solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through Business & Industry, Manufacturing & Distribution, Education, Aviation, and Technical Solutions segments.