Short Interest in RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) Declines By 19.3%

RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,210,000 shares, a decline of 19.3% from the January 31st total of 1,500,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 639,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

RPM International Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of RPM International stock traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $121.62. 394,327 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 612,532. The company has a market cap of $15.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.23. RPM International has a 52 week low of $103.69 and a 52 week high of $141.79.

RPM International (NYSE:RPM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 7th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. RPM International had a return on equity of 26.76% and a net margin of 8.89%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. Equities analysts expect that RPM International will post 5.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RPM International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 17th. RPM International’s dividend payout ratio is 40.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RPM International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RPM. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of RPM International by 61.7% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 215 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in RPM International by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 236 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in RPM International during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in RPM International by 58.7% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 419 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC increased its position in RPM International by 829.8% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 437 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RPM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on RPM International from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Evercore ISI raised shares of RPM International to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of RPM International from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of RPM International from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of RPM International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.00.

About RPM International

RPM International Inc manufactures and sells specialty chemicals for the industrial, specialty, and consumer markets worldwide. It offers waterproofing, coating, and traditional roofing systems; sealants, air barriers, tapes, and foams; residential home weatherization systems; roofing and building maintenance services; sealing and bonding, subfloor preparation, flooring, and glazing solutions; resin flooring systems, polyurethane, MMA waterproof, epoxy floor paint and coatings, concrete repair, and protection products; fire stopping and intumescent steel coating, and manufacturing industry solutions; rolled asphalt roofing materials and chemical admixtures; concrete and masonry admixtures, concrete fibers, curing and sealing compounds, structural grouts and mortars, epoxy adhesives, injection resins, polyurethane foams, floor hardeners and toppings, joint fillers, industrial and architectural coatings, decorative color/stains/stamps, and restoration materials; insulated building cladding materials; and concrete form wall systems.