Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 82,804 shares, an increase of 136.9% from the July 15th total of 34,955 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 112,111 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on JAPAY. BTIG Research began coverage on Japan Tob in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Zacks Research raised Japan Tob from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Japan Tob

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Japan Tob stock. X Square Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 9,844 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $608,000.

Japan Tob Stock Performance

JAPAY traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $22.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 52,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 71,225. Japan Tob has a one year low of $15.56 and a one year high of $22.62. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.17. The firm has a market cap of $79.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Japan Tob will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Japan Tob Company Profile

Japan Tobacco Inc (OTC: JAPAY) is a Tokyo-based multinational company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. The company’s core activities include the development, production and distribution of cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery products for domestic and international markets. Japan Tobacco also pursues business activities beyond tobacco, including pharmaceutical and processed‑food operations through subsidiary units and strategic investments.

In its tobacco operations the company serves both the Japanese market and a broad international footprint through its global operating arm, Japan Tobacco International (JTI).