Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) Short Interest Update

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,920,000 shares, a growth of 23.9% from the February 28th total of 1,550,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 506,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days. Currently, 4.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Smith & Wesson Brands Trading Down 0.6 %

Smith & Wesson Brands stock opened at $9.26 on Tuesday. Smith & Wesson Brands has a one year low of $9.17 and a one year high of $17.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.35 and its 200 day moving average is $11.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $407.47 million, a PE ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 3.97 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.02. Smith & Wesson Brands had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The firm had revenue of $115.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $119.46 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Smith & Wesson Brands will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Smith & Wesson Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.62%. Smith & Wesson Brands’s payout ratio is 80.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Lake Street Capital dropped their target price on shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from $13.00 to $12.50 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Institutional Trading of Smith & Wesson Brands

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 12,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 27,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 49,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands by 5.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 29,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 1,598 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 45.5% in the fourth quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 5,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.33% of the company’s stock.

About Smith & Wesson Brands

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, design, and provision of firearms. Its portfolio includes handguns, long guns, handcuffs, suppressor, and other firearm-related products. The firm’s brands are Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech.