Short Interest in StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS) Grows By 55.2%

StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 52,000 shares, a growth of 55.2% from the February 13th total of 33,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 140,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

StealthGas Price Performance

GASS stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $5.69. 46,285 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 118,321. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.90. The company has a market cap of $208.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. StealthGas has a 1-year low of $4.82 and a 1-year high of $8.84.

StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter. StealthGas had a return on equity of 11.36% and a net margin of 40.87%.

Institutional Trading of StealthGas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in StealthGas by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 21,698 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 2,461 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of StealthGas by 14.8% in the third quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 22,799 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,933 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its position in shares of StealthGas by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 24,808 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 6,299 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of StealthGas by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 69,686 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 7,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of StealthGas by 701.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 10,263 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 8,982 shares during the period. 66.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of StealthGas from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday.

About StealthGas

StealthGas Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides seaborne transportation services to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) producers and users worldwide. The company's carriers carry various petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer, as well as ammonia; refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel; and edible oils and chemicals.