Precision Optics Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:POCI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Precision Optics Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:POCI) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,100 shares, an increase of 27.1% from the October 31st total of 4,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 18,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.3 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Precision Optics Trading Down 4.2 %

Shares of POCI stock opened at $4.82 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.50. Precision Optics has a 1 year low of $3.47 and a 1 year high of $6.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $30.61 million, a P/E ratio of -7.77 and a beta of 0.21.

Precision Optics (NASDAQ:POCI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 30th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter. Precision Optics had a negative net margin of 20.01% and a negative return on equity of 35.51%. The company had revenue of $4.72 million during the quarter.

Insider Transactions at Precision Optics

In related news, Director Peter V. Anania sold 14,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.00, for a total transaction of $72,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 196,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $980,990. This trade represents a 6.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 16.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Precision Optics

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Precision Optics stock. Needham Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Precision Optics Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:POCI) by 9.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 400,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,283 shares during the quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC owned approximately 6.30% of Precision Optics worth $2,232,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.71% of the company’s stock.

About Precision Optics

Precision Optics Corporation, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells specialized optical and illumination systems and related components primarily in the United States and the European Economic Area. It offers medical instrumentation products, including endoscopes and endocouplers, as well as other custom imaging and illumination products, such as Microprecision lenses and micro medical cameras, and 3D endoscopes for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures by hospitals and physicians.