Short Interest in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP) Decreases By 19.0%

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,860,000 shares, a drop of 19.0% from the February 28th total of 3,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 361,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ARLP shares. StockNews.com downgraded Alliance Resource Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (up previously from $27.00) on shares of Alliance Resource Partners in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ARLP opened at $26.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.61 and its 200 day moving average is $26.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Alliance Resource Partners has a 1-year low of $20.16 and a 1-year high of $30.56.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The energy company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.38). Alliance Resource Partners had a net margin of 14.74% and a return on equity of 19.09%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alliance Resource Partners will post 2.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliance Resource Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Alliance Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alliance Resource Partners

In related news, SVP Timothy J. Whelan sold 50,000 shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.13, for a total transaction of $1,256,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 93,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,358,450.50. This trade represents a 34.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Alliance Resource Partners

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 34,283 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $857,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the period. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 17,647 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Alliance Resource Partners by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,816 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $626,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the period. BCS Wealth Management raised its holdings in Alliance Resource Partners by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. BCS Wealth Management now owns 19,971 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus ETF Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC now owns 7,278 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares during the period. 18.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Alliance Resource Partners

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.