Short Interest in Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE:LXFR) Grows By 51.8%

Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE:LXFR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 146,200 shares, an increase of 51.8% from the February 13th total of 96,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 136,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Luxfer from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Luxfer Price Performance

NYSE LXFR remained flat at $12.12 during mid-day trading on Monday. 133,162 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,215. The firm has a market cap of $324.11 million, a PE ratio of 36.73, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.93. Luxfer has a 52 week low of $9.26 and a 52 week high of $15.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $13.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.26.

Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The industrial products company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.03. Luxfer had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 2.37%. The firm had revenue of $103.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $89.50 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Luxfer will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Luxfer Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 27th. Luxfer’s payout ratio is presently 76.47%.

Institutional Trading of Luxfer

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Luxfer in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new position in shares of Luxfer in the 4th quarter worth $101,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Luxfer in the 4th quarter worth $137,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in shares of Luxfer in the fourth quarter worth $137,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Luxfer during the fourth quarter valued at $140,000. 90.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Luxfer

Luxfer Holdings PLC, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and supplies high-performance materials, components, and high-pressure gas containment devices for defense and first response, healthcare, transportation, and general industrial applications. The company operates through three segments: Elektron, Gas Cylinders, and graphic Arts.