Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) Short Interest Update

Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,600 shares, an increase of 50.9% from the January 31st total of 16,300 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 13,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nathan’s Famous

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Nathan’s Famous by 187.2% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 10,088 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $793,000 after purchasing an additional 6,575 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,820 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nathan’s Famous during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 27,011 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,123,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury bought a new stake in Nathan’s Famous during the fourth quarter worth $294,000. 66.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Nathan’s Famous from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Nathan’s Famous Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NATH opened at $98.73 on Wednesday. Nathan’s Famous has a 52-week low of $64.02 and a 52-week high of $104.96. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $86.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.77. The firm has a market cap of $403.71 million, a P/E ratio of 17.02 and a beta of 0.25.

Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Nathan’s Famous had a negative return on equity of 96.05% and a net margin of 16.19%.

Nathan’s Famous Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Nathan’s Famous’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.48%.

Nathan’s Famous Company Profile

Nathan’s Famous, Inc engages in the operation of franchised fast-food units. It is involved in the licensing, wholesaling, and retailing of products marketed under the Nathan’s Famous brand. The firm operates through the following business segments: Branded Product Program, Product Licensing, Restaurant Operations, and Corporate.