IHS (NYSE:IHS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

IHS Holding Limited (NYSE:IHS) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 2,741,181 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 71% from the previous session’s volume of 1,600,930 shares.The stock last traded at $8.2950 and had previously closed at $8.30.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on IHS shares. Williams Trading set a $8.50 target price on shares of IHS in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of IHS from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. TD Cowen cut shares of IHS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $17.00 to $8.50 in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, New Street Research cut shares of IHS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $8.38.

IHS Stock Down 0.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 15.61 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 96.14, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 2.01.

IHS (NYSE:IHS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The business services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $415.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $439.16 million. IHS had a negative return on equity of 1,351.44% and a net margin of 10.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Sam Darwish sold 124,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.24, for a total value of $1,024,026.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 436,015 shares in the company, valued at $3,592,763.60. The trade was a 22.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Stephen J. Howden sold 49,212 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total transaction of $405,999.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 314,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,598,024. This trade represents a 13.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 344,017 shares of company stock worth $2,826,243. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of IHS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IHS. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of IHS by 647.6% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 68,437 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 59,283 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in IHS by 457.1% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,113,427 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,191,000 after acquiring an additional 913,549 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of IHS by 94.6% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,260,483 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,008,000 after purchasing an additional 612,852 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of IHS by 227.3% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 322,061 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,791,000 after purchasing an additional 223,661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of IHS in the second quarter worth approximately $142,000. Institutional investors own 17.54% of the company’s stock.

About IHS

IHS Inc develops source of information, insight and analytics in different areas of business. The Company’s segments include Resources, Transportation and Consolidated Markets & Solutions. The Company’s Resources segment includes its Energy and Chemicals product offerings. Its Transportation segment includes its Automotive; Maritime & Trade, and Aerospace, Defense & Security product offerings. Its Consolidated Markets & Solutions segment includes its Product Design; Technology, Media & Telecom, and Economics & Country Risk product offerings.