FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) Short Interest Up 42.8% in February

FirstService Co. (NASDAQ:FSV) (TSE:FSV) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 318,000 shares, an increase of 42.8% from the February 13th total of 222,700 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 119,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on FSV shares. StockNews.com downgraded FirstService from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Raymond James raised their target price on FirstService from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstService

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FSV. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of FirstService during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of FirstService during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of FirstService during the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Natixis increased its position in shares of FirstService by 5,511.1% during the 4th quarter. Natixis now owns 505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of FirstService during the 4th quarter valued at $101,000. 69.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FirstService Stock Up 1.9 %

FSV opened at $168.55 on Tuesday. FirstService has a 12 month low of $141.26 and a 12 month high of $197.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market cap of $7.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.75 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $176.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.98.

FirstService Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from FirstService’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.65%. FirstService’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.04%.

About FirstService

FirstService Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides residential property management and other essential property services to residential and commercial customers in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments: FirstService Residential and FirstService Brands. The FirstService Residential segment offers services for private residential communities, such as condominiums, co-operatives, homeowner associations, master-planned communities, active adult and lifestyle communities, and various other residential developments.