H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEES) Short Interest Update

H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEES) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,220,000 shares, an increase of 142.1% from the January 15th total of 1,330,000 shares. Approximately 10.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 729,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.4 days.

H&E Equipment Services Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HEES opened at $87.56 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $68.00 and a 200-day moving average of $56.82. The company has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.64. H&E Equipment Services has a 52-week low of $40.92 and a 52-week high of $90.66.

H&E Equipment Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. H&E Equipment Services’s dividend payout ratio is 27.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on HEES shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. B. Riley reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target (down from $62.00) on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a report on Sunday, February 9th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.25.

Institutional Trading of H&E Equipment Services

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services by 124.2% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 11,410 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 6,320 shares during the last quarter. Perbak Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services in the fourth quarter worth $1,356,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 330,310 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $16,172,000 after purchasing an additional 27,758 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services by 3,914.1% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 424,809 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,799,000 after purchasing an additional 414,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 23,953 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.08% of the company’s stock.

About H&E Equipment Services

H&E Equipment Services, Inc engages in the provision of equipment services, which focus on heavy construction and industrial equipment. It operates through the following segments: Equipment Rentals, New Equipment Sales, Used Equipment Sales, Parts Sales, and Services. The Equipment Rentals segment focuses on renting construction and industrial equipment.