Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) Short Interest Down 13.5% in January

Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZD) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,440,000 shares, a decrease of 13.5% from the December 31st total of 2,820,000 shares. Currently, 5.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 423,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.8 days.

Ziff Davis Price Performance

ZD stock opened at $53.89 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 45.67 and a beta of 1.36. Ziff Davis has a one year low of $37.76 and a one year high of $70.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $55.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.68.

Ziff Davis (NASDAQ:ZD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The technology company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.10. Ziff Davis had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 4.52%. The firm had revenue of $353.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $347.66 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ziff Davis will post 5.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Ziff Davis

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ziff Davis by 69.8% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 53,905 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,623,000 after purchasing an additional 22,155 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in Ziff Davis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $986,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Ziff Davis in the third quarter worth $503,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Ziff Davis during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,210,000. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Ziff Davis by 11.0% during the third quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 501,313 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $24,394,000 after purchasing an additional 49,510 shares in the last quarter. 99.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ZD shares. Barclays raised their target price on Ziff Davis from $44.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Ziff Davis from $76.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.71.

Ziff Davis Company Profile

Ziff Davis, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media and internet company in the United States and internationally. The company offers PCMag, an online resource for laboratory-based product reviews, technology news, buying guides, and research papers; Mashable for publishing technology and culture content; Spiceworks Ziff Davis provides digital content of IT products and services; retailMeNot, a savings destination platform; Offers.com, a coupon and deals website; and event-based properties, including BlackFriday.com, TheBlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, and DealsofAmerica.com.