Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) Short Interest Update

Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,964,358 shares, a drop of 15.9% from the February 26th total of 2,335,552 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 678,244 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

OSK has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson upped their price target on Oshkosh from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Oshkosh from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Argus cut their target price on shares of Oshkosh from $175.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $182.00 price target on shares of Oshkosh in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Oshkosh from $155.00 to $144.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Oshkosh presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.31.

Oshkosh Stock Up 6.7%

OSK traded up $9.29 on Tuesday, reaching $146.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 654,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 801,151. The company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.37. Oshkosh has a fifty-two week low of $76.82 and a fifty-two week high of $180.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $158.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.97.

Oshkosh (NYSE:OSK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.07). Oshkosh had a net margin of 6.21% and a return on equity of 15.69%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Oshkosh will post 10.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Oshkosh Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from Oshkosh’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Oshkosh’s payout ratio is currently 22.75%.

Insider Activity at Oshkosh

In other news, SVP Anupam Khare sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.07, for a total transaction of $676,280.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,295,463.39. This represents a 22.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Oshkosh in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $175,882,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Oshkosh in the 4th quarter valued at $127,907,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Oshkosh by 408.7% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,213,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,490,000 after purchasing an additional 975,206 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Oshkosh by 908.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 913,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,481,000 after purchasing an additional 822,874 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Oshkosh by 143.9% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,193,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,896,000 after purchasing an additional 704,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.36% of the company’s stock.

Oshkosh Company Profile

Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty trucks, military vehicles and access equipment. The company’s offerings span critical end markets, including defense, fire and emergency services, commercial construction and industrial sectors. By combining engineering expertise with advanced technologies, Oshkosh delivers solutions that enhance mobility, safety and productivity for its customers.

Founded in 1917 and headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the company has evolved from producing heavy-duty dump trucks to a diversified portfolio of products and services.