Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALU) Short Interest Down 38.1% in December

Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALU - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,300 shares, a decline of 38.1% from the December 15th total of 11,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Value Line from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Institutional Trading of Value Line

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VALU. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Value Line by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,145 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Value Line by 144.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,563 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in Value Line by 340.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,150 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 889 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.26% of the company's stock.

Value Line Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VALU traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $49.08. The stock had a trading volume of 5,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,155. The firm has a market cap of $462.24 million, a P/E ratio of 20.89 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $52.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.65. Value Line has a 1 year low of $36.00 and a 1 year high of $57.68.

Value Line (NASDAQ:VALU - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, December 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Value Line had a return on equity of 22.29% and a net margin of 54.72%.

Value Line Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 28th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 28th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Value Line's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.06%.

About Value Line

Value Line, Inc produces and sells investment periodicals and related publications. Its investment periodicals and related publications cover a range of investments, including stocks, mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and options. The company's research services include The Value Line Investment Survey, The Value Line Investment Survey - Small and Mid-Cap, The Value Line 600, and The Value Line Fund Advisor Plus that provide statistical and text coverage of various investment securities, with an emphasis placed on its proprietary research, analysis, and statistical ranks.