SFL (NYSE:SFL) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

SFL Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:SFL) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $8.52 and traded as high as $10.84. SFL shares last traded at $10.6450, with a volume of 988,650 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on SFL shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of SFL from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of SFL from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on SFL from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, SFL has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

SFL Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $9.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.54. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of -52.88 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

SFL (NYSE:SFL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The shipping company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $175.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.36 million. SFL had a negative return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 3.61%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share.

SFL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. SFL’s payout ratio is presently -400.00%.

Institutional Trading of SFL

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SFL. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in SFL by 789.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,317 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,944 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of SFL during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in shares of SFL during the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SFL by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,008 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in SFL during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. 28.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About SFL

Ship Finance International Limited (NYSE: SFL) is an independent owner of modern, large-size ocean-going vessels that provides finance and leasing services to the global shipping industry. The company’s fleet encompasses a diversified mix of crude oil tankers, product and chemical tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, dry bulk carriers, container vessels and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units. By structuring long-term charter agreements and bareboat leases with major oil companies, commodity traders and offshore operators, Ship Finance International seeks to deliver stable cash flows and risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.

In its core business, Ship Finance International acquires or finances vessels through forward sales agreements and then charters them out under fixed-rate contracts, typically ranging from five to 20 years in duration.