Short Interest in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) Expands By 20.9%

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,520,000 shares, an increase of 20.9% from the December 31st total of 7,050,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,590,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.4 days. Approximately 6.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Stock Performance

NYSE:HLX traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $8.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 622,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,348,151. Helix Energy Solutions Group has a 12-month low of $7.76 and a 12-month high of $13.05. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $9.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 207.18 and a beta of 2.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HLX shares. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Helix Energy Solutions Group from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised Helix Energy Solutions Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Helix Energy Solutions Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

Insider Activity at Helix Energy Solutions Group

In other news, COO Scott Andrew Sparks sold 170,000 shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.87, for a total value of $1,677,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 112,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,111,697.58. The trade was a 60.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Diana Glassman sold 16,000 shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total value of $159,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $259,762.02. This represents a 37.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 269,991 shares of company stock worth $2,607,137 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 6.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Helix Energy Solutions Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HLX. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,546,820 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $61,016,000 after acquiring an additional 923,477 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,064,809 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $22,919,000 after acquiring an additional 575,450 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 941,394 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $10,449,000 after acquiring an additional 496,278 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 352.3% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 538,485 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,019,000 after buying an additional 419,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,664,257 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $73,973,000 after buying an additional 246,577 shares in the last quarter. 91.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments.