Phibro Animal Health Co. (NASDAQ:PAHC) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Phibro Animal Health Co. (NASDAQ:PAHC) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 726,000 shares, a decline of 23.1% from the February 28th total of 943,800 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 249,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Phibro Animal Health Price Performance

Shares of Phibro Animal Health stock traded up $0.61 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $21.97. The stock had a trading volume of 272,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 184,441. The firm has a market cap of $889.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.58. Phibro Animal Health has a 12 month low of $12.17 and a 12 month high of $26.55. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.79 and its 200 day moving average is $22.69. The company has a current ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.99.

Phibro Animal Health (NASDAQ:PAHC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.14. Phibro Animal Health had a return on equity of 25.35% and a net margin of 1.75%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Phibro Animal Health will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Phibro Animal Health Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Phibro Animal Health’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on PAHC shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Phibro Animal Health from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Phibro Animal Health from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Phibro Animal Health from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $21.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Phibro Animal Health

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in shares of Phibro Animal Health during the 4th quarter valued at about $478,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Phibro Animal Health during the fourth quarter worth approximately $323,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Phibro Animal Health by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 62,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 16,917 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Fund Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Phibro Animal Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Phibro Animal Health by 103.4% in the 4th quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 49,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,040,000 after purchasing an additional 25,160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.34% of the company’s stock.

Phibro Animal Health Company Profile

Phibro Animal Health Corporation operates as an animal health and mineral nutrition company in the United States, Israel, Brazil, Ireland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Animal Health, Mineral Nutrition, and Performance Products. The company develops, manufactures, and markets various products for food and companion animals including poultry, swine, beef and dairy cattle, aquaculture, and dogs.