Marine Petroleum Trust (NASDAQ:MARPS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Marine Petroleum Trust (NASDAQ:MARPS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,200 shares, an increase of 41.4% from the March 15th total of 5,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Marine Petroleum Trust Stock Performance

MARPS opened at $3.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.01. Marine Petroleum Trust has a fifty-two week low of $3.76 and a fifty-two week high of $5.20. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3.92 and a 200 day moving average of $4.00.

Marine Petroleum Trust (NASDAQ:MARPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The energy company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $170 billion for the quarter. Marine Petroleum Trust had a return on equity of 63.85% and a net margin of 63.53%.

Marine Petroleum Trust Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.0771 dividend. This represents a $0.31 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Marine Petroleum Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Marine Petroleum Trust in a report on Monday, April 14th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

About Marine Petroleum Trust

Marine Petroleum Trust, together with its subsidiary, Marine Petroleum Corporation, operates as a royalty trust in the United States. It has overriding royalty interest in oil and natural gas leases in the Central and Western areas of the Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Marine Petroleum Trust was founded in 1956 and is based in Dallas, Texas.