James River Group Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:JRVR) Short Interest Update

James River Group Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:JRVR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,920,000 shares, a growth of 39.1% from the February 28th total of 1,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 347,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.5 days. Approximately 5.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a “hold” rating on shares of James River Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on James River Group from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Compass Point decreased their price target on James River Group from $7.75 to $6.25 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JMP Securities lowered their price target on James River Group from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered James River Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.06.

James River Group Price Performance

Shares of JRVR traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $4.25. The stock had a trading volume of 136,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 368,574. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65. James River Group has a 12 month low of $3.00 and a 12 month high of $9.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.99 million, a PE ratio of -1.05 and a beta of 0.04. The company’s 50-day moving average is $4.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.17.

James River Group (NASDAQ:JRVR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The insurance provider reported ($0.99) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.33) by ($0.66). James River Group had a negative net margin of 20.84% and a positive return on equity of 3.90%. The firm had revenue of $126.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $159.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that James River Group will post -0.35 EPS for the current year.

James River Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. James River Group’s payout ratio is -1.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On James River Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of James River Group in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in James River Group during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of James River Group by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 12,556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 2,498 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of James River Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of James River Group by 41.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,616 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 4,586 shares during the period. 95.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About James River Group

James River Group Holdings, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides specialty insurance services. It operates through Excess and Surplus Lines, and Specialty Admitted Insurance segments. The Excess and Surplus Lines segment underwrites liability and property insurance in the United States Puerto Rice, and the United States Virgin Islands.