Short Interest in Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) Grows By 661.8%

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totaling 138,325 shares, an increase of 661.8% from the May 31st total of 18,158 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,766,569 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Xcel Brands Stock Performance

Shares of XELB opened at $1.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.38 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $2.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1.68. Xcel Brands has a 12 month low of $0.74 and a 12 month high of $2.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Xcel Brands (NASDAQ:XELB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The textile maker reported ($0.42) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.64) by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 million. Xcel Brands had a negative return on equity of 83.71% and a negative net margin of 361.04%. Research analysts anticipate that Xcel Brands will post -1.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Xcel Brands from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $3.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of XELB. DRW Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Xcel Brands by 98.1% during the 4th quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 34,434 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 17,053 shares during the last quarter. Potomac Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Brands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $441,000. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Brands during the third quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Institutional investors own 18.55% of the company’s stock.

Xcel Brands Company Profile

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ: XELB) is a lifestyle brand management company that acquires, develops and markets consumer product brands spanning fashion, entertainment and home categories. The company works with designers, celebrities and entertainment properties to create branded apparel, accessories, jewelry and home décor collections. Its portfolio includes licensed and proprietary brands such as Judith Ripka, Isaac Mizrahi and Simple Joys by Carter’s, among others.

The company’s business model centers on sourcing creative talent and intellectual property, then leveraging an in-house product development team to design collections that are manufactured by third-party partners.