Short Interest in CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE:CEIX) Drops By 8.6%

CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE:CEIX) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,600,000 shares, a decline of 8.6% from the May 31st total of 1,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 447,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Currently, 5.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

CONSOL Energy Price Performance

Shares of CEIX stock traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $102.80. 246,698 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 506,604. The firm has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a PE ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $94.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.16. CONSOL Energy has a 1-year low of $61.72 and a 1-year high of $114.30.

CONSOL Energy (NYSE:CEIX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $1.20. CONSOL Energy had a net margin of 21.57% and a return on equity of 39.24%. The company had revenue of $565.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $516.85 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that CONSOL Energy will post 11.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at CONSOL Energy

In other news, CEO James A. Brock sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.55, for a total transaction of $169,235.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 529,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,710,430.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other CONSOL Energy news, CEO James A. Brock sold 5,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.21, for a total value of $530,334.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 532,087 shares in the company, valued at $52,256,264.27. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James A. Brock sold 1,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.55, for a total value of $169,235.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 529,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,710,430.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CEIX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of CONSOL Energy by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,562,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,602,000 after purchasing an additional 125,087 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in CONSOL Energy by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,140,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,203,000 after buying an additional 71,873 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in CONSOL Energy by 58.3% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,208,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,462,000 after buying an additional 445,155 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in CONSOL Energy by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 418,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,859,000 after buying an additional 32,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of CONSOL Energy by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 312,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,389,000 after acquiring an additional 24,529 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of CONSOL Energy from $100.00 to $98.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th.

CONSOL Energy Company Profile

CONSOL Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells bituminous coal in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pennsylvania Mining Complex (PAMC) and CONSOL Marine Terminal. The company's PAMC segment engages in the mining, preparing, and marketing of bituminous coal to power generators, industrial end-users, and metallurgical end-users.