748,633 Shares in The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF) Purchased by Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. bought a new stake in The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 748,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,789,000. The Shyft Group comprises approximately 0.8% of Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. owned approximately 2.17% of The Shyft Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its holdings in The Shyft Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 202,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,377,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of The Shyft Group in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of The Shyft Group by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Shyft Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in The Shyft Group by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 58,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 4,256 shares during the period. 85.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SHYF shares. DA Davidson raised shares of The Shyft Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of The Shyft Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

The Shyft Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SHYF opened at $9.19 on Wednesday. The Shyft Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $8.27 and a 12 month high of $17.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $321.03 million, a P/E ratio of -102.10 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $10.93 and a 200 day moving average of $12.03.

The Shyft Group (NASDAQ:SHYF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.09). The Shyft Group had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 2.75%. The firm had revenue of $201.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $211.90 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Shyft Group, Inc. will post 0.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Shyft Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 27th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 27th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The Shyft Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently -222.22%.

About The Shyft Group

The Shyft Group, Inc engages in the manufacture and assembly of specialty vehicles for the commercial and recreational vehicle industries in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Fleet Vehicles and Services, and Specialty Vehicles. The Fleet Vehicles and Services segment offers commercial vehicles used in the e-commerce/last mile/parcel delivery, beverage and grocery delivery, laundry and linen, mobile retail, and trades and construction industries.