Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE:KFS) Short Interest Up 6.8% in January

Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE:KFS) (TSE:KFS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 425,000 shares, an increase of 6.8% from the December 31st total of 398,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 43,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 9.7 days. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Kingsway Financial Services

In related news, Director Joseph Stilwell sold 365,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.43, for a total transaction of $3,076,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 593,743 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,253.49. The trade was a 38.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 1,177 shares of company stock worth $10,010. 54.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kingsway Financial Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KFS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Kingsway Financial Services by 368.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 28,532 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 22,438 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Kingsway Financial Services by 325.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,269 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 13,975 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kingsway Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth $102,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kingsway Financial Services by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 347,235 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,875,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Kingsway Financial Services by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 151,477 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 6,877 shares in the last quarter. 72.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kingsway Financial Services Price Performance

KFS traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $7.98. 3,425 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,818. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $8.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.40. Kingsway Financial Services has a 52-week low of $7.60 and a 52-week high of $9.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 0.41 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Kingsway Financial Services (NYSE:KFS) (TSE:KFS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The insurance provider reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $27.14 million during the quarter. Kingsway Financial Services had a negative return on equity of 7.83% and a negative net margin of 3.63%.

About Kingsway Financial Services

Kingsway Financial Services Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the extended warranty and business services in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Extended Warranty and Kingsway Search Xcelerator. The Extended Warranty segment markets, sells, and administers vehicle service agreements and related products for new and used automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs.