Enpro Inc. (NYSE:NPO) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Enpro Inc. (NYSE:NPO) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 582,600 shares, a growth of 23.6% from the February 28th total of 471,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 116,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.0 days. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Enpro Trading Up 3.4 %

NPO stock traded up $5.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $165.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 118,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 107,005. The company has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.79 and a beta of 1.52. Enpro has a 12 month low of $136.68 and a 12 month high of $214.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $181.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $173.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Enpro (NYSE:NPO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $258.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $250.10 million. Enpro had a net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 10.25%. Enpro’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Enpro will post 7.38 EPS for the current year.

Enpro Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from Enpro’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. Enpro’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Steven R. Bower sold 997 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.66, for a total transaction of $199,061.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Enpro by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,597 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,310,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Enpro by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 8,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new position in shares of Enpro during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,139,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Enpro by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 58,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,130,000 after purchasing an additional 9,058 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Investments LLC grew its position in Enpro by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Redwood Investments LLC now owns 10,525 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,815,000 after purchasing an additional 2,456 shares in the last quarter. 98.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Enpro from $180.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Enpro from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Enpro from $170.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Enpro Company Profile

Enpro Inc design, develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary, value-added products and solutions to safeguard critical environments in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Sealing Technologies and Advanced Surface Technologies. The Sealing Technologies segment offers single-use hygienic seals, tubing, components and assemblies; metallic, non-metallic, and composite material gaskets; dynamic seals; compression packing; hydraulic components; expansion joints; and wall penetration products for chemical and petrochemical processing, pulp and paper processing, nuclear energy, hydrogen, natural gas, food and biopharmaceutical processing, primary metal manufacturing, mining, water and waste treatment, commercial vehicle, aerospace, medical, filtration, and semiconductor fabrication industries.