Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on BIG. Loop Capital lowered Big Lots from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on shares of Big Lots from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Big Lots has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $5.25.

Big Lots Price Performance

Shares of Big Lots stock opened at $3.64 on Friday. Big Lots has a twelve month low of $3.13 and a twelve month high of $11.06. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.22 and a beta of 2.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43.

Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported ($0.28) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Big Lots had a negative net margin of 10.20% and a negative return on equity of 90.53%. Big Lots’s quarterly revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.28) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Big Lots will post -10.53 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Big Lots by 265.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 210,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,073,000 after buying an additional 152,677 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Big Lots by 549.3% during the third quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 117,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 99,011 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Big Lots in the 4th quarter worth about $497,000. Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Big Lots in the 3rd quarter worth about $100,000. Finally, Krane Funds Advisors LLC bought a new position in Big Lots in the 3rd quarter worth about $433,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.96% of the company’s stock.

About Big Lots

Big Lots, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a home discount retailer in the United States. The company offers products under various merchandising categories, such as furniture category that includes upholstery, mattresses, case goods, and ready-to-assemble departments; seasonal category, which comprises patio furniture, gazebos, Christmas trim, and other holiday departments; soft home category that consists of home décor, frames, fashion and utility bedding, bath, window, decorative textile, and area rugs departments; and food category that includes beverage and grocery, specialty foods, and pet departments.