Short Interest in Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:NWL) Increases By 21.0%

Newell Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:NWL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,610,000 shares, an increase of 21.0% from the February 28th total of 18,680,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 8,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 5.5% of the company's shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NWL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Newell Brands from $10.50 to $7.75 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Newell Brands from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Newell Brands from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Newell Brands from $9.00 to $7.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Newell Brands from $9.50 to $10.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.58.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Newell Brands

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Newell Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Newell Brands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Newell Brands by 140.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 7,912 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 4,617 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Newell Brands by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 8,376 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 1,666 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in Newell Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $101,000. 92.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Newell Brands Stock Down 4.5 %

NASDAQ NWL traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $4.89. 17,314,849 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,437,978. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.46. Newell Brands has a 1-year low of $4.67 and a 1-year high of $11.78. The company has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 7th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Newell Brands had a negative net margin of 2.85% and a positive return on equity of 9.76%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Newell Brands will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Newell Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.73%. Newell Brands's payout ratio is -53.85%.

Newell Brands Company Profile

Newell Brands Inc engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, and distribution of consumer and commercial products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Home and Commercial Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solution products under the Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Mapa, and Spontex brands; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; household products, such as kitchen appliances under the Crockpot, Mr.