The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF) Position Boosted by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in The Shyft Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHYF) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 350,274 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,500 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 1.02% of The Shyft Group worth $4,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in The Shyft Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,773,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,823,000 after buying an additional 13,263 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Shyft Group by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 58,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 4,256 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Shyft Group during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in The Shyft Group by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,156,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,581,000 after purchasing an additional 203,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC grew its stake in The Shyft Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 202,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,377,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares in the last quarter. 85.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Shyft Group Trading Down 0.7 %

The Shyft Group stock opened at $8.03 on Wednesday. The Shyft Group, Inc. has a one year low of $7.86 and a one year high of $17.56. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $10.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $280.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.21 and a beta of 1.69.

The Shyft Group (NASDAQ:SHYF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.09). The Shyft Group had a negative net margin of 0.36% and a positive return on equity of 2.75%. The company had revenue of $201.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $211.90 million. On average, analysts forecast that The Shyft Group, Inc. will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Shyft Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 27th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 27th. The Shyft Group’s dividend payout ratio is -222.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of The Shyft Group in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. DA Davidson upgraded shares of The Shyft Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

The Shyft Group Profile

The Shyft Group, Inc engages in the manufacture and assembly of specialty vehicles for the commercial and recreational vehicle industries in the United States and internationally. It operates in two segments, Fleet Vehicles and Services, and Specialty Vehicles. The Fleet Vehicles and Services segment offers commercial vehicles used in the e-commerce/last mile/parcel delivery, beverage and grocery delivery, laundry and linen, mobile retail, and trades and construction industries.