Short Interest in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) Increases By 36.1%

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,000,000 shares, an increase of 36.1% from the January 31st total of 1,470,000 shares. Approximately 4.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 592,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Institutional Trading of Smith & Wesson Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 5.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 29,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,598 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 240.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 80,449 shares of the company's stock worth $1,046,000 after buying an additional 56,800 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 380.9% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 62,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 49,264 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,067,955 shares of the company's stock worth $13,865,000 after buying an additional 7,260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands by 9.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 131,566 shares of the company's stock worth $1,708,000 after buying an additional 11,006 shares during the last quarter. 59.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Smith & Wesson Brands Trading Down 9.2 %

Smith & Wesson Brands stock traded down $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $10.01. 1,709,108 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 434,565. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $10.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.14. Smith & Wesson Brands has a twelve month low of $9.17 and a twelve month high of $18.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 3.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $440.43 million, a PE ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 1.09.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.02. The business had revenue of $115.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $119.46 million. Smith & Wesson Brands had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 8.78%. Research analysts predict that Smith & Wesson Brands will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SWBI shares. Lake Street Capital upgraded shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th.

About Smith & Wesson Brands

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, design, and provision of firearms. Its portfolio includes handguns, long guns, handcuffs, suppressor, and other firearm-related products. The firm's brands are Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech.