Smart Sand (NASDAQ:SND) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Smart Sand (NASDAQ:SND) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 294,052 shares, an increase of 36.2% from the January 15th total of 215,840 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 399,175 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 399,175 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Smart Sand Trading Up 8.7%

NASDAQ:SND traded up $0.43 on Friday, reaching $5.36. 675,622 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 379,678. Smart Sand has a 52-week low of $1.76 and a 52-week high of $5.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.56 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $4.19 and a 200-day moving average of $2.91.

Smart Sand (NASDAQ:SND) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $0.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.00 million. Smart Sand had a negative return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 1.16%. As a group, analysts expect that Smart Sand will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Smart Sand Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Smart Sand from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Smart Sand in a report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Trading of Smart Sand

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SND. Gendell Jeffrey L grew its position in shares of Smart Sand by 18.1% during the second quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 2,039,861 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,100,000 after buying an additional 312,789 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. bought a new position in shares of Smart Sand in the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Smart Sand by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 276,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 19,117 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Smart Sand by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 384,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $773,000 after buying an additional 61,473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Smart Sand by 348.8% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 81,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 62,961 shares during the period. 35.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Smart Sand

Smart Sand, Inc (NASDAQ:SND) is a U.S.-based industrial mineral company specializing in the mining, processing and distribution of high-purity silica sand. The company’s primary business centers on the production of frac sand for the oil and gas industry, as well as specialty sand products for foundry, glass and construction applications. Through an integrated network of mines, processing plants and trans-load facilities, Smart Sand delivers precision-engineered sand solutions designed to meet stringent performance and purity requirements.

Smart Sand’s operations include flagship mining and processing facilities in Wisconsin, which supply Northern White silica sand, and production sites in Texas, strategically located to serve major U.S.