Data I/O Corporation (NASDAQ:DAIO) Stock Short Interest Climbs 132.9%

Data I/O Corporation (NASDAQ:DAIO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 15,678 shares, an increase of 132.9% from the September 15th total of 6,731 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 23,409 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days.

Data I/O Stock Down 3.2%

Data I/O stock opened at $2.75 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.96 and a beta of 1.43. Data I/O has a 52-week low of $2.16 and a 52-week high of $4.49.

Data I/O (NASDAQ:DAIO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The electronics maker reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($0.07). Data I/O had a negative return on equity of 66.83% and a negative net margin of 48.73%. The firm had revenue of $5.15 million during the quarter. Research analysts expect that Data I/O will post -0.30 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Data I/O

A hedge fund recently bought a new position in Data I/O stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Data I/O Corporation (NASDAQ:DAIO) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 17,015 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $67,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 0.18% of Data I/O at the end of the most recent reporting period. 36.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on DAIO. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Data I/O to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Data I/O in a report on Friday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5.11.

About Data I/O

Data I/O Corporation (NASDAQ: DAIO) develops and supplies automated programming, data-management and security-provisioning solutions for electronic devices. Its systems are used to load software, firmware and configuration data into semiconductors and electronic control units during manufacturing.

The company’s product portfolio includes automated programming platforms, device-handling equipment, programming software and related data-security tools. Its solutions are designed to support high-volume production while helping manufacturers manage device data, protect intellectual property and improve traceability throughout the manufacturing process.

Data I/O primarily serves automotive electronics manufacturers and suppliers, as well as customers in industrial, consumer, medical and other technology markets.