Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG) Short Interest Up 17.7% in February

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 243,800 shares, a growth of 17.7% from the February 13th total of 207,200 shares. Approximately 2.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 87,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Vishay Precision Group Stock Performance

Shares of VPG traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $22.56. 44,916 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 74,348. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.49 and a beta of 1.08. Vishay Precision Group has a twelve month low of $20.83 and a twelve month high of $35.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 4.41 and a quick ratio of 2.80.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.10). Vishay Precision Group had a return on equity of 3.87% and a net margin of 3.23%. Analysts predict that Vishay Precision Group will post 0.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VPG has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered Vishay Precision Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. B. Riley upgraded shares of Vishay Precision Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $24.50 to $28.50 in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 51.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 802,256 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $20,778,000 after buying an additional 271,974 shares in the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 685,200 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $16,082,000 after purchasing an additional 7,700 shares during the period. Portolan Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,552,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 1,238.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 358,325 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $9,281,000 after buying an additional 331,547 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 330,107 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $7,748,000 after acquiring an additional 148,802 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.61% of the company’s stock.

About Vishay Precision Group

Vishay Precision Group, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets specialized sensors, weighing solutions, and measurement systems in the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Sensors, Weighing Solutions, and Measurement Systems.