POSCO (NYSE:PKX) Short Interest Up 31.0% in January

POSCO (NYSE:PKX) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,545,571 shares, a growth of 31.0% from the December 31st total of 1,179,488 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 266,950 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 266,950 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.8 days.

POSCO Price Performance

Shares of PKX opened at $61.77 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.38. POSCO has a 1 year low of $39.40 and a 1 year high of $65.49. The company’s fifty day moving average is $55.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.85.

POSCO (NYSE:PKX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.61) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($1.06). POSCO had a net margin of 0.97% and a return on equity of 1.09%. The firm had revenue of ($37,213.55) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.85 billion. On average, analysts forecast that POSCO will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of POSCO in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On POSCO

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Founders Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of POSCO by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in POSCO by 51.6% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 682 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of POSCO during the 2nd quarter worth $66,000. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of POSCO by 1,276.9% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares during the period. Finally, MAI Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of POSCO during the 2nd quarter worth $73,000.

POSCO Company Profile

POSCO (NYSE: PKX) is a South Korea–based integrated steel producer founded in 1968 as Pohang Iron and Steel Company. Headquartered in Pohang, the company grew rapidly as part of South Korea’s industrialization program and developed large, integrated steelworks—most notably in Pohang and Gwangyang—that helped establish POSCO among the world’s largest steelmakers. It is structured as a diversified industrial group with steelmaking at its core and a range of downstream and trading businesses.

The company’s primary activities include ironmaking and steelmaking, producing a wide array of steel products such as hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets, coated steels, plates, stainless and special steels, long products (bars and wire rods), and seamless pipes.