Hillenbrand Inc (NYSE:HI) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Hillenbrand Inc (NYSE:HI) was the target of a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,750,309 shares, a decline of 20.8% from the December 15th total of 2,210,537 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 843,057 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 843,057 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hillenbrand

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MGO One Seven LLC lifted its position in shares of Hillenbrand by 5.3% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 10,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 532 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in Hillenbrand by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Hillenbrand by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in Hillenbrand by 3.2% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 20,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Hillenbrand by 203.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.09% of the company’s stock.

Hillenbrand Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HI traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.82. The company had a trading volume of 622,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 641,449. Hillenbrand has a 1-year low of $18.36 and a 1-year high of $35.59. The stock has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a PE ratio of 52.16 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $31.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.60.

Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.21. Hillenbrand had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 1.61%.The firm had revenue of $652.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $592.25 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 22.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Hillenbrand will post 2.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hillenbrand Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.2275 dividend. This is a boost from Hillenbrand’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hillenbrand’s payout ratio is 149.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on HI. CJS Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of Hillenbrand in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hillenbrand in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Hillenbrand from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Hillenbrand in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.00.

Hillenbrand Company Profile

Hillenbrand, Inc, headquartered in Batesville, Indiana, is a global industrial company specializing in engineered equipment and process solutions. Through its Coperion division, Hillenbrand designs and manufactures compounding and extrusion systems, polymer and food processing equipment, bulk material handling technologies and associated automation. These offerings support a variety of end markets, including plastics, chemicals, food, pharmaceutical and minerals, helping customers optimize production efficiency and product quality.

Tracing its roots to the Batesville Casket Company founded in 1906, the organization evolved through strategic acquisitions and expanded its focus on process technologies.