Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) Short Interest Update

Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 403,900 shares, a growth of 9.9% from the January 15th total of 367,600 shares. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 375,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CLW. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in Clearwater Paper in the 3rd quarter worth about $74,000. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new position in Clearwater Paper in the 3rd quarter worth about $209,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Clearwater Paper in the 4th quarter worth about $217,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Clearwater Paper by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 7,900 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clearwater Paper in the 4th quarter worth approximately $226,000. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on CLW shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Clearwater Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $37.00 target price on shares of Clearwater Paper in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Clearwater Paper Stock Down 7.8 %

Shares of Clearwater Paper stock traded down $2.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $26.80. The company had a trading volume of 876,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 258,884. The company has a market cap of $444.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.17 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $29.53 and its 200-day moving average is $29.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.78. Clearwater Paper has a fifty-two week low of $23.97 and a fifty-two week high of $57.13.

Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.33) by ($0.84). Clearwater Paper had a net margin of 0.74% and a return on equity of 4.35%.

Clearwater Paper declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Monday, November 4th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to reacquire up to 23.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Clearwater Paper Company Profile

Clearwater Paper Corporation manufactures and supplies bleached paperboards, and consumer and parent roll tissues in the United States and internationally. It operates through Pulp and Paperboard, and Consumer Products segments. The Pulp and Paperboard segment manufactures and markets bleached paperboard; Solid Bleached Sulfate paperboard that is used to produce folding cartons, liquid packaging, cups and plates, blister and carded packaging, and top sheet and commercial printing items; and hardwood and softwood pulp, as well as offers services that include custom sheeting, slitting, and cutting.