StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 306,800 shares, an increase of 5.1% from the March 15th total of 291,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 178,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 1.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

StealthGas Trading Up 0.2 %

GASS traded up $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $5.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 72,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 178,614. StealthGas has a twelve month low of $2.61 and a twelve month high of $7.98. The company has a quick ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 3.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $6.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.53 million, a P/E ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.79.

StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The shipping company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. StealthGas had a return on equity of 9.22% and a net margin of 36.19%. The business had revenue of $30.83 million during the quarter.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in StealthGas in the 1st quarter valued at $106,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in StealthGas by 37.2% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 45,667 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 12,388 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in StealthGas by 68.3% in the 4th quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 71,084 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 28,843 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of StealthGas during the 4th quarter worth $397,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of StealthGas by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 14,600 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 66.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered StealthGas from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd.

About StealthGas

StealthGas Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides seaborne transportation services to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) producers and users worldwide. It also offers crude oil and natural gas. The company's carriers carry various petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer, as well as ammonia; and refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel, as well as edible oils and chemicals.