Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) Short Interest Up 67.8% in July

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 33,307 shares, a growth of 67.8% from the June 30th total of 19,848 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 73,264 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Xcel Brands Stock Performance

XELB opened at $1.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 million, a PE ratio of -0.26 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.73. Xcel Brands has a fifty-two week low of $0.74 and a fifty-two week high of $2.66.

Xcel Brands (NASDAQ:XELB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The textile maker reported ($0.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.64) by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $1.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 million. Xcel Brands had a negative return on equity of 83.71% and a negative net margin of 361.04%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xcel Brands will post -1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Xcel Brands from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xcel Brands

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of XELB. Potomac Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Xcel Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $441,000. Citadel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Xcel Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Brands by 98.1% during the 4th quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 34,434 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 17,053 shares in the last quarter. 18.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Brands Company Profile

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ: XELB) is a lifestyle brand management company that acquires, develops and markets consumer product brands spanning fashion, entertainment and home categories. The company works with designers, celebrities and entertainment properties to create branded apparel, accessories, jewelry and home décor collections. Its portfolio includes licensed and proprietary brands such as Judith Ripka, Isaac Mizrahi and Simple Joys by Carter’s, among others.

The company’s business model centers on sourcing creative talent and intellectual property, then leveraging an in-house product development team to design collections that are manufactured by third-party partners.