Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPB) Short Interest Update

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPB) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,550,000 shares, a growth of 21.1% from the January 31st total of 1,280,000 shares. Currently, 6.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 416,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Spectrum Brands Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:SPB opened at $74.44 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.40 and a quick ratio of 1.53. Spectrum Brands has a 1 year low of $70.58 and a 1 year high of $96.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.20.

Spectrum Brands (NYSE:SPB) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.11. Spectrum Brands had a net margin of 4.01% and a return on equity of 6.44%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. Analysts predict that Spectrum Brands will post 5.06 EPS for the current year.

Spectrum Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. Spectrum Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SPB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Spectrum Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $94.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Spectrum Brands from $92.00 to $88.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Spectrum Brands from $114.00 to $110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Spectrum Brands from $114.00 to $109.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Spectrum Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.43.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Spectrum Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SPB. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Spectrum Brands by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,333,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,654,000 after purchasing an additional 22,484 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Spectrum Brands by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 590,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,154,000 after buying an additional 7,783 shares during the last quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Spectrum Brands by 29.8% in the 4th quarter. Callodine Capital Management LP now owns 527,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,568,000 after buying an additional 121,000 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Spectrum Brands by 7.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 513,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,809,000 after purchasing an additional 36,063 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Spectrum Brands by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 461,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,998,000 after purchasing an additional 36,798 shares during the last quarter.

About Spectrum Brands

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc operates as a branded consumer products and home essentials company in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions. It operates through three segments: Home and Personal Care; Global Pet Care; and Home and Garden. The Home and Personal Care segment provides home appliances under the Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, PowerXL, Emeril Legasse, Copper Chef, Toastmaster, Juiceman, Farberware, and Breadman brands; and personal care products under the Remington brand.