Short Interest in Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BATRA) Expands By 15.5%

Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BATRA) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 405,781 shares, a growth of 15.5% from the February 12th total of 351,222 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 60,906 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.7 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 60,906 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BATRA. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Atlanta Braves from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Atlanta Braves in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Atlanta Braves has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Insider Transactions at Atlanta Braves

In related news, major shareholder John C. Malone bought 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $44.23 per share, for a total transaction of $1,548,050.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 521,862 shares in the company, valued at $23,081,956.26. This trade represents a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanta Braves

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BATRA. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its stake in Atlanta Braves by 4.5% in the third quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 864,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,300,000 after acquiring an additional 36,995 shares during the period. MRP Capital Investments LLC acquired a new position in Atlanta Braves in the third quarter worth about $1,022,000. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. bought a new position in Atlanta Braves during the fourth quarter worth about $3,252,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Atlanta Braves during the third quarter valued at approximately $455,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Atlanta Braves by 47.7% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,233 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. 12.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atlanta Braves Stock Performance

BATRA opened at $48.21 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of -123.61 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Atlanta Braves has a 1 year low of $38.67 and a 1 year high of $50.50. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.32.

Atlanta Braves (NASDAQ:BATRA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported ($0.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.74) by $0.46. Atlanta Braves had a positive return on equity of 0.08% and a negative net margin of 3.19%.The firm had revenue of $61.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $54.93 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Atlanta Braves will post -0.98 EPS for the current year.

About Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves (NASDAQ: BATRA) are a professional baseball club that competes in Major League Baseball’s National League East division. Founded in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee in 1953 before settling in Atlanta in 1966. As one of MLB’s oldest and most storied organizations, the Braves are responsible for fielding a Major League team, overseeing player development through a network of minor league affiliates, and managing baseball operations under the leadership of President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos.

Beyond on‐field performance, the Braves operate a diversified sports and entertainment business.