Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPB) Short Interest Up 21.1% in February

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPB - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,550,000 shares, a growth of 21.1% from the January 31st total of 1,280,000 shares. Currently, 6.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 416,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Spectrum Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $94.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Spectrum Brands from $92.00 to $88.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Spectrum Brands from $114.00 to $110.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Spectrum Brands from $114.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.43.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SPB. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Spectrum Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Spectrum Brands by 9,420.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Spectrum Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Spectrum Brands by 92.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 544 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Spectrum Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000.

Spectrum Brands Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:SPB traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $75.18. The stock had a trading volume of 278,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 379,762. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.40. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.20. Spectrum Brands has a 12-month low of $73.12 and a 12-month high of $96.74. The company's 50 day moving average is $81.34 and its 200-day moving average is $87.75.

Spectrum Brands (NYSE:SPB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.11. Spectrum Brands had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 6.44%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Spectrum Brands will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Spectrum Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Spectrum Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.19%.

Spectrum Brands Company Profile

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc operates as a branded consumer products and home essentials company in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions. It operates through three segments: Home and Personal Care; Global Pet Care; and Home and Garden. The Home and Personal Care segment provides home appliances under the Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, PowerXL, Emeril Legasse, Copper Chef, Toastmaster, Juiceman, Farberware, and Breadman brands; and personal care products under the Remington brand.