Short Interest in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) Expands By 23.9%

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,920,000 shares, a growth of 23.9% from the February 28th total of 1,550,000 shares. Currently, 4.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 506,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Smith & Wesson Brands Price Performance

SWBI traded up $0.11 on Friday, reaching $9.14. The company had a trading volume of 771,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 470,085. The company has a market capitalization of $402.19 million, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 3.97, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a fifty day moving average of $10.25 and a 200-day moving average of $11.48. Smith & Wesson Brands has a one year low of $8.64 and a one year high of $17.99.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Smith & Wesson Brands will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Smith & Wesson Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.69%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Smith & Wesson Brands's payout ratio is currently 80.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Craig Hallum cut Smith & Wesson Brands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Lake Street Capital cut their target price on Smith & Wesson Brands from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Smith & Wesson Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SWBI. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Smith & Wesson Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,049,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,063,973 shares of the company's stock worth $30,960,000 after acquiring an additional 104,128 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 525,374 shares of the company's stock worth $5,309,000 after purchasing an additional 80,235 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $686,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position 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 valued at $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 56,800 shares during the period. 59.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.