Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 24,695 shares, a drop of 48.2% from the April 30th total of 47,714 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 16,366 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Xcel Brands Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ:XELB opened at $2.17 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.13 million, a PE ratio of -0.47 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Xcel Brands has a 52-week low of $0.74 and a 52-week high of $3.17. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1.54.

Xcel Brands (NASDAQ:XELB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The textile maker reported ($0.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.64) by $0.22. The business had revenue of $1.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 million. Xcel Brands had a negative return on equity of 83.71% and a negative net margin of 361.04%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Xcel Brands will post -1.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Brands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. DRW Securities LLC increased its position in Xcel Brands by 98.1% during the 4th quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 34,434 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 17,053 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Xcel Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $88,000. Finally, Potomac Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Xcel Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $441,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Xcel Brands from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xcel Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.00.

About Xcel Brands

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ: XELB) is a lifestyle brand management company that acquires, develops and markets consumer product brands spanning fashion, entertainment and home categories. The company works with designers, celebrities and entertainment properties to create branded apparel, accessories, jewelry and home décor collections. Its portfolio includes licensed and proprietary brands such as Judith Ripka, Isaac Mizrahi and Simple Joys by Carter’s, among others.

The company’s business model centers on sourcing creative talent and intellectual property, then leveraging an in-house product development team to design collections that are manufactured by third-party partners.