Short Interest in Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) Expands By 22.7%

Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,590,000 shares, an increase of 22.7% from the November 30th total of 2,110,000 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,290,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Builders FirstSource Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Builders FirstSource stock traded down $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $142.93. 1,102,911 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,540,207. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 2.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $172.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $169.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Builders FirstSource has a 1-year low of $130.75 and a 1-year high of $214.70.

Builders FirstSource (NYSE:BLDR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.09 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.44 billion. Builders FirstSource had a return on equity of 33.55% and a net margin of 7.40%. The business’s revenue was down 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.24 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Builders FirstSource will post 11.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Cleveland A. Christophe sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.41, for a total transaction of $1,784,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,083 shares in the company, valued at $5,902,338.03. This represents a 23.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Builders FirstSource during the third quarter worth $28,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Builders FirstSource in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Builders FirstSource during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Builders FirstSource in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Builders FirstSource in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 95.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on BLDR shares. StockNews.com lowered Builders FirstSource from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Builders FirstSource in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $232.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Builders FirstSource from $165.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Builders FirstSource in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Builders FirstSource from $169.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $210.00.

About Builders FirstSource

Builders FirstSource, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and supplies building materials, manufactured components, and construction services to professional homebuilders, sub-contractors, remodelers, and consumers in the United States. It offers lumber and lumber sheet goods comprising dimensional lumber, plywood, and oriented strand board products that are used in on-site house framing; manufactured products, such as wood floor and roof trusses, floor trusses, wall panels, stairs, and engineered wood products; and windows, and interior and exterior door units, as well as interior trims and custom products comprising intricate mouldings, stair parts, and columns under the Synboard brand name.