Azarias Capital Management L.P. Purchases 70,281 Shares of Hooker Furnishings Co. (NASDAQ:HOFT)

Azarias Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Hooker Furnishings Co. (NASDAQ:HOFT) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 754,328 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 70,281 shares during the period. Hooker Furnishings accounts for about 4.7% of Azarias Capital Management L.P.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Azarias Capital Management L.P. owned approximately 0.07% of Hooker Furnishings worth $10,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hooker Furnishings during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Baron Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hooker Furnishings in the third quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Hooker Furnishings by 270.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 15,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 11,288 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hooker Furnishings by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 19,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 3,966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hooker Furnishings by 56.6% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 20,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 7,422 shares in the last quarter. 73.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hooker Furnishings

In related news, Director Paulette Garafalo sold 2,489 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total value of $42,561.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,783 shares in the company, valued at $355,389.30. The trade was a 10.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hooker Furnishings Stock Up 0.2 %

HOFT opened at $13.13 on Thursday. Hooker Furnishings Co. has a one year low of $12.06 and a one year high of $25.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 3.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $140.62 million, a P/E ratio of -14.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.70.

Hooker Furnishings (NASDAQ:HOFT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.22). Hooker Furnishings had a negative return on equity of 3.51% and a negative net margin of 2.46%. Analysts anticipate that Hooker Furnishings Co. will post -0.44 EPS for the current year.

Hooker Furnishings Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.01%. Hooker Furnishings’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -101.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Hooker Furnishings from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

About Hooker Furnishings

Hooker Furnishings Corporation designs, manufactures, imports, and markets residential household, hospitality, and contract furniture. It operates in three segments: Hooker Branded, Home Meridian, and Domestic Upholstery. The Hooker Branded segment offers design categories, including home entertainment, home office, accent, dining, and bedroom furniture under the Hooker Furniture brand; and imported upholstered furniture under the Hooker Upholstery brand.