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

StockNews.com lowered shares of Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Loop Capital upgraded Big Lots from a sell rating to a hold rating and set a $1.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Big Lots from $2.50 to $1.50 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Reduce and an average price target of $2.50.

Big Lots Stock Down 4.7 %

NYSE:BIG opened at $0.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $16.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 2.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.82. Big Lots has a 1 year low of $0.51 and a 1 year high of $8.41.

Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 6th. The company reported ($4.51) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.23) by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.04 billion. Big Lots had a negative net margin of 10.44% and a negative return on equity of 147.35%. The company’s revenue was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($3.40) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Big Lots will post -11.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Big Lots in the second quarter valued at about $269,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Big Lots by 1,132.9% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 200,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 184,660 shares during the last quarter. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Big Lots in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Big Lots by 46.7% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 37,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 11,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Big Lots by 3.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,598,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,922,000 after acquiring an additional 56,540 shares during the period. 75.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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, home décor, case goods, and ready-to-assemble departments; seasonal category, which comprises patio furniture, gazebos, Christmas trim, lawn and garden, and other holiday departments; soft home category consists of apparel, hosiery, jewelry; frames, fashion and utility bedding, bath, window, decorative textiles, and area rugs departments; and food category that includes beverages and grocery, specialty foods, and candy and snacks departments.