Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE:LXFR) Short Interest Up 51.8% in February

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

Luxfer Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of LXFR stock traded up $0.11 on Friday, hitting $12.12. The stock had a trading volume of 93,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 134,219. Luxfer has a one year low of $9.26 and a one year high of $15.64. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $13.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.24. The company has a market cap of $324.01 million, a PE ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $103.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $89.50 million. Luxfer had a net margin of 2.37% and a return on equity of 9.26%. Research analysts anticipate that Luxfer will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 27th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.29%. Luxfer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Luxfer

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