The Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

The Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,860,000 shares, a decline of 6.5% from the January 15th total of 9,480,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,340,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company's shares are sold short.

The Carlyle Group Trading Down 3.5 %

NASDAQ:CG traded down $1.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $49.86. 2,747,128 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,391,706. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm's fifty day moving average is $52.62 and its 200-day moving average is $48.45. The Carlyle Group has a 12-month low of $36.65 and a 12-month high of $57.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.70.

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by ($0.08). The Carlyle Group had a return on equity of 24.02% and a net margin of 18.81%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Carlyle Group will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

The Carlyle Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. The Carlyle Group's payout ratio is currently 50.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com lowered The Carlyle Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Carlyle Group from $78.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Carlyle Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $54.93.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Carlyle Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in shares of The Carlyle Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Carlyle Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its position in shares of The Carlyle Group by 149.3% during the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 546 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in The Carlyle Group by 253.1% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in The Carlyle Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.88% of the company's stock.

About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group Inc is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. Within direct investments, it specializes in management-led/ Leveraged buyouts, privatizations, divestitures, strategic minority equity investments, structured credit, global distressed and corporate opportunities, small and middle market, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, senior debt, mezzanine and leveraged finance, and venture and growth capital financings, seed/startup, early venture, emerging growth, turnaround, mid venture, late venture, PIPES.