Short Interest in The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF) Declines By 16.9%

The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 320,300 shares, a decrease of 16.9% from the February 13th total of 385,400 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 251,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of The Shyft Group during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in The Shyft Group during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in The Shyft Group by 77.3% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,403 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,919 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its holdings in The Shyft Group by 317.7% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 6,081 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 4,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of The Shyft Group by 301.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 5,801 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.84% of the company's stock.

The Shyft Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SHYF traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $8.97. The stock had a trading volume of 503,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,824. The stock has a market cap of $313.34 million, a P/E ratio of -99.66 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The Shyft Group has a 12-month low of $8.27 and a 12-month high of $17.56. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.10.

The Shyft Group (NASDAQ:SHYF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $201.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $211.90 million. The Shyft Group had a positive return on equity of 2.75% and a negative net margin of 0.36%. On average, equities analysts expect that The Shyft Group will post 0.68 EPS for the current year.

The Shyft Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The Shyft Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -222.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on SHYF shares. DA Davidson upgraded shares of The Shyft Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of The Shyft Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

About The Shyft Group

The Shyft Group, Inc engages in the manufacture and assembly of specialty vehicles for the commercial and recreational vehicle industries in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Fleet Vehicles and Services, and Specialty Vehicles. The Fleet Vehicles and Services segment offers commercial vehicles used in the e-commerce/last mile/parcel delivery, beverage and grocery delivery, laundry and linen, mobile retail, and trades and construction industries.