Short Interest in MarketWise, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKTW) Expands By 20.4%

MarketWise, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKTW) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 33,872 shares, an increase of 20.4% from the February 26th total of 28,122 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 17,365 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

MarketWise Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MKTW traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $18.97. 16,074 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,739. MarketWise has a 1-year low of $9.07 and a 1-year high of $21.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $304.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.28 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $15.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.65.

MarketWise (NASDAQ:MKTW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, March 6th. The newsletter publisher reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.99. The firm had revenue of $83.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.60 million. MarketWise had a negative return on equity of 2.54% and a net margin of 1.71%.

MarketWise Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. MarketWise’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Frank Porter Stansberry bought 23,103 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.28 per share, with a total value of $329,910.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 233,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,328,825.08. This trade represents a 11.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Erik Mickels sold 6,666 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.10, for a total value of $93,990.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 88,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,246,411.80. This trade represents a 7.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,000 shares of company stock worth $377,167 over the last three months. 29.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MarketWise

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC grew its position in MarketWise by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 152,631 shares of the newsletter publisher’s stock worth $2,293,000 after purchasing an additional 9,961 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of MarketWise by 300.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 121,661 shares of the newsletter publisher’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 91,282 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in MarketWise by 13.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 83,627 shares of the newsletter publisher’s stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 10,113 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in MarketWise by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,737 shares of the newsletter publisher’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in MarketWise during the third quarter valued at about $359,000. 23.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of MarketWise in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.00.

About MarketWise

MarketWise, Inc operates a content and technology multi-brand platform for self-directed investors in the United States and Internationally. Its platform includes subscription businesses that provides financial research, software, education, and tools to navigate the financial markets. The company offers various investment strategies, such as value investing, income, growth, commodities, cryptocurrencies, venture, crowdfunded investing, biotechnology, mutual funds, options, and trading; investment research product portfolio through a range of media, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile; and financial newsletters.