Short Interest in Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN) Declines By 23.7%

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,320,000 shares, a decrease of 23.7% from the March 15th total of 8,280,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 10.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on URBN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Urban Outfitters from $56.00 to $50.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Urban Outfitters from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Urban Outfitters from $65.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Urban Outfitters from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Urban Outfitters from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Urban Outfitters currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $55.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 8,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.44, for a total value of $485,052.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $902,898. This trade represents a 34.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Azeez Hayne sold 11,676 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $639,261.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 29,976 shares of company stock worth $1,663,713 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 31.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of URBN. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Urban Outfitters by 2,893.8% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 479 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Urban Outfitters by 61.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 525 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Urban Outfitters by 36.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 759 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Urban Outfitters during the 1st quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Urban Outfitters by 315.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,482 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,125 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.61% of the company's stock.

Urban Outfitters Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Urban Outfitters stock traded up $0.22 on Wednesday, hitting $50.22. The stock had a trading volume of 2,685,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,871,704. Urban Outfitters has a one year low of $33.86 and a one year high of $61.16. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $51.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.09. The stock has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.37.

Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ:URBN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel retailer reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. Urban Outfitters had a net margin of 6.11% and a return on equity of 15.86%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Urban Outfitters will post 3.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters, Inc engages in the retail and wholesale of general consumer products. The company operates through three segments: Retail, Wholesale, and Nuuly. It operates Urban Outfitters stores, which offer women's and men's fashion apparel, activewear, intimates, footwear, accessories, home goods, electronics, and beauty products for young adults aged 18 to 28; and Anthropologie stores that provide women's apparel, accessories, intimates, shoes, and home furnishings, as well as gifts, decorative items, and beauty and wellness products for women aged 28 to 45.