Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Short Interest Update

Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,900 shares, a growth of 1,125.0% from the February 28th total of 400 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 83,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Ashtead Group Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS ASHTY traded down $4.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $227.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,729. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $251.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $278.95. Ashtead Group has a 1-year low of $222.43 and a 1-year high of $337.95. The firm has a market cap of $24.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.77.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.47 by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $2.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.16 billion. Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 22.65% and a net margin of 14.78%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ashtead Group will post 15.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ASHTY shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Ashtead Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Ashtead Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ashtead Group currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

About Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.