ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 781,300 shares, an increase of 500.1% from the February 13th total of 130,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 189,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.1 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of ORIX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st.

ORIX Price Performance

IX stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $20.93. 19,637 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 118,839. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.43 billion, a PE ratio of 1.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.73. ORIX has a 52 week low of $18.11 and a 52 week high of $25.17. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $20.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.94.

ORIX (NYSE:IX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.01. ORIX had a net margin of 13.66% and a return on equity of 9.73%. As a group, analysts expect that ORIX will post 11.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at ORIX

In other news, major shareholder Corp Orix sold 18,500,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.08, for a total transaction of $278,906,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,880,385 shares in the company, valued at $224,336,684.26. This represents a 55.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of ORIX

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in ORIX during the third quarter valued at $80,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in ORIX in the fourth quarter worth $123,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of ORIX by 282.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of ORIX by 1,310.0% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 1,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gitterman Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in ORIX by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

ORIX Company Profile

ORIX Corporation provides diversified financial services in Japan, the United States, Asia, Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East. The company's Corporate Financial Services and Maintenance Leasing segment is involved in the finance and fee; leasing and rental of automobiles, electronic measuring instruments, and ICT-related equipment businesses; and provision of life insurance and environment and energy-related products and services.