Nathan's Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Nathan's Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 21,100 shares, a drop of 14.6% from the February 28th total of 24,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Nathan's Famous from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nathan's Famous

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nathan's Famous during the 4th quarter valued at $397,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Nathan's Famous by 3.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 63,252 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,118,000 after buying an additional 2,011 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Nathan's Famous by 125.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,744 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,640 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Nathan's Famous in the 4th quarter worth $589,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nathan's Famous during the fourth quarter valued at about $904,000. Institutional investors own 66.54% of the company's stock.

Nathan's Famous Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ NATH traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $89.66. 3,266 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,723. Nathan's Famous has a 52 week low of $64.02 and a 52 week high of $104.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.60 million, a P/E ratio of 15.46 and a beta of 0.21. The business's fifty day moving average price is $93.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.60.

Nathan's Famous (NASDAQ:NATH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter. Nathan's Famous had a negative return on equity of 96.05% and a net margin of 16.19%.

Nathan's Famous Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Nathan's Famous's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.48%.

About Nathan's Famous

Nathan's Famous, Inc engages in the operation of franchised fast-food units. It is involved in the licensing, wholesaling, and retailing of products marketed under the Nathan's Famous brand. The firm operates through the following business segments: Branded Product Program, Product Licensing, Restaurant Operations, and Corporate.