BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) Stock Short Interest Rises 143.1%

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,595,030 shares, an increase of 143.1% from the August 31st total of 656,191 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 582,113 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BW LPG

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BWLP. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of BW LPG during the first quarter valued at $9,646,000. Fearnley Asset Management AS bought a new position in BW LPG in the 4th quarter worth about $5,388,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in BW LPG by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 387,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,799,000 after purchasing an additional 136,000 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in BW LPG during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,218,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in BW LPG in the second quarter worth about $3,626,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Clarkson Capital raised shares of BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BW LPG from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Pareto Securities raised BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

BW LPG Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE BWLP opened at $24.67 on Tuesday. BW LPG has a 1 year low of $11.72 and a 1 year high of $26.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $23.45 and a 200 day moving average of $20.52. The stock has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.39 and a beta of 0.99.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, August 29th. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.38). BW LPG had a return on equity of 22.48% and a net margin of 12.64%.The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $318.01 million.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th were given a dividend of NOK 8.89 per share. This is a boost from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of NOK 6.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $35.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 144.2%. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio is 129.25%.

BW LPG Company Profile

BW LPG Limited (NYSE: BWLP) is a Singapore-based maritime company that owns and operates very large gas carriers (VLGCs) used to transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), primarily propane and butane. The company provides seaborne transportation services to energy producers, commodity traders, and other customers involved in the global LPG supply chain.

BW LPG’s activities include vessel ownership, ship management, commercial operation, and fleet optimization. Its ships transport LPG on international trade routes connecting major exporting regions, including the Middle East and the United States, with import markets in Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world.