RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) Short Interest Down 18.7% in October

RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,090,000 shares, a drop of 18.7% from the October 15th total of 1,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 629,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

RPM International Price Performance

NYSE:RPM traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $135.30. The company had a trading volume of 591,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 633,063. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $127.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $117.66. RPM International has a one year low of $100.56 and a one year high of $138.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

RPM International (NYSE:RPM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.09. RPM International had a return on equity of 26.82% and a net margin of 8.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that RPM International will post 5.55 earnings per share for the current year.

RPM International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. This is a boost from RPM International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 18th. RPM International’s dividend payout ratio is 42.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on RPM International from $125.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on RPM International from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $149.00 price target (up from $139.00) on shares of RPM International in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com lowered RPM International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on RPM International from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, RPM International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $129.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Tracy D. Crandall sold 3,718 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.71, for a total value of $497,133.78. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 22,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,040,297.98. The trade was a 14.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Matthew T. Ratajczak sold 3,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.75, for a total value of $406,335.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 21,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,727,311.25. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,083 shares of company stock valued at $1,443,549. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of RPM International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in RPM. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of RPM International by 61.7% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 215 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc acquired a new position in shares of RPM International during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Cambridge Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of RPM International by 273.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 336 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of RPM International by 588.9% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 372 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of RPM International during the third quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 80.95% of the company’s stock.

RPM International Company Profile

RPM International Inc manufactures and sells specialty chemicals for the industrial, specialty, and consumer markets worldwide. It offers waterproofing, coating, and traditional roofing systems; sealants, air barriers, tapes, and foams; residential home weatherization systems; roofing and building maintenance services; sealing and bonding, subfloor preparation, flooring, and glazing solutions; resin flooring systems, polyurethane, MMA waterproof, epoxy floor paint and coatings, concrete repair, and protection products; fire stopping and intumescent steel coating, and manufacturing industry solutions; rolled asphalt roofing materials and chemical admixtures; concrete and masonry admixtures, concrete fibers, curing and sealing compounds, structural grouts and mortars, epoxy adhesives, injection resins, polyurethane foams, floor hardeners and toppings, joint fillers, industrial and architectural coatings, decorative color/stains/stamps, and restoration materials; insulated building cladding materials; and concrete form wall systems.