BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,143,022 shares, an increase of 58.7% from the November 30th total of 720,269 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 558,317 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 558,317 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

BW LPG Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BWLP traded up $0.05 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 154,399 shares, compared to its average volume of 415,673. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $12.71 and a 200-day moving average of $13.49. BW LPG has a 12 month low of $7.86 and a 12 month high of $16.60.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 2nd. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $279.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $242.92 million. BW LPG had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 8.78%.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.3%. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is currently 141.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Amundi increased its holdings in BW LPG by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,050,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,203,000 after acquiring an additional 841,849 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,257,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,704,000 after purchasing an additional 579,987 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of BW LPG by 61.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,282,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,878,000 after purchasing an additional 489,246 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 41.4% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 560,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,613,000 after purchasing an additional 164,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of BW LPG by 644.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 189,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,702,000 after buying an additional 163,803 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BWLP shares. Clarkson Capital raised BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BW LPG currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About BW LPG

BW LPG (NYSE: BWLP) is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company’s core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.