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

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,143,022 shares, a growth 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 currently 2.0 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 558,317 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BWLP. Clarkson Capital raised shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BW LPG in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BWLP. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in BW LPG by 10.1% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 9,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BW LPG by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 7,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of BW LPG by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 41,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of BW LPG by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 1,749 shares during the period. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC lifted its position in BW LPG by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 27,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period.

BW LPG Trading Up 2.0%

BW LPG stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $12.96. 256,504 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 414,391. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.24. BW LPG has a 52-week low of $7.86 and a 52-week high of $16.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $12.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.49.

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

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.3%. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 141.59%.

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.