Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALU) Short Interest Up 25.3% in February

Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALU) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,900 shares, an increase of 25.3% from the January 31st total of 7,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Value Line

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. 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 worth $53,000 after buying an additional 889 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Value Line by 144.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 923 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Value Line by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 10,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 1,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Auxier Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Value Line in the fourth quarter valued at about $224,000. 6.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Value Line Price Performance

Shares of VALU stock opened at $40.60 on Thursday. Value Line has a 1-year low of $32.94 and a 1-year high of $57.68. The company has a market cap of $382.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.52.

Value Line (NASDAQ:VALU) last announced 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 net margin of 62.02% and a return on equity of 24.00%.

Value Line Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 27th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 27th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Value Line’s payout ratio is currently 51.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Value Line from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

Value Line Company Profile

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.