Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 500 shares, a decrease of 72.2% from the August 15th total of 1,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays raised Ashtead Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

Ashtead Group Stock Up 0.2 %

ASHTY opened at $278.93 on Friday. Ashtead Group has a 1-year low of $221.86 and a 1-year high of $316.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $276.39 and a 200-day moving average of $282.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 18th. The company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.17 by ($0.02). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 24.56% and a net margin of 14.94%. The company had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.35 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ashtead Group will post 15.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashtead Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $3.52 per share. This is a positive change from Ashtead Group’s previous dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. Ashtead Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

About Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.