Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,665,700 shares, a drop of 68.8% from the February 28th total of 11,741,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,260,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Roche Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:RHHBY traded down $0.43 on Friday, reaching $41.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,202,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,280,667. Roche has a 52-week low of $29.20 and a 52-week high of $44.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Institutional Trading of Roche

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RHHBY. Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Roche by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 183,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,399,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Roche by 37.7% in the fourth quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 110,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,866,000 after purchasing an additional 30,350 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in Roche by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 60,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Roche by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 33,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in shares of Roche by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 23,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,000 after buying an additional 1,496 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RHHBY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Roche in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Roche from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Roche to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Roche presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Roche Company Profile

Roche Holding AG engages in the pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The company offers pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas of anemia, blood and solid tumors, dermatology, hemophilia, inflammatory and autoimmune, neurological disorders, ophthalmology, respiratory disorders, and transplantation.