Natural Resource Partners LP (NYSE:NRP) Short Interest Up 22.8% in February

Natural Resource Partners LP (NYSE:NRP) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 304,246 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the February 12th total of 247,776 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 54,026 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 54,026 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.6 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Natural Resource Partners Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:NRP opened at $118.00 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.20. Natural Resource Partners has a 12-month low of $86.83 and a 12-month high of $128.60.

Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The energy company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $48.40 million during the quarter. Natural Resource Partners had a net margin of 65.16% and a return on equity of 22.52%.

Natural Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. Natural Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NRP shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Natural Resource Partners in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natural Resource Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Institutional Trading of Natural Resource Partners

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 12,329.6% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 621,478 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $59,357,000 after buying an additional 616,478 shares during the period. Saber Capital Managment LLC acquired a new position in Natural Resource Partners during the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,766,000. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Natural Resource Partners by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,006,232 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $105,051,000 after acquiring an additional 125,530 shares during the period. Nitor Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natural Resource Partners in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,703,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 748,185 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $78,111,000 after buying an additional 63,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.77% of the company’s stock.

About Natural Resource Partners

Natural Resource Partners LP (NYSE: NRP) is a master limited partnership that acquires and manages royalty and other mineral interests in coal and other natural resources across North America and Australia. The partnership was formed in 2010 as a spin-out from a major U.S. coal producer and is headquartered in Fairmont, West Virginia. Its core business model centers on owning gross proceeds interests, gross royalty proceeds interests and fee minerals, which provide the right to receive a portion of revenues from mining and mineral production without operating the mines directly.

NRP’s U.S.