Short Interest in Sampo PLC (OTCMKTS:SAXPY) Increases By 3,343.4%

Sampo PLC (OTCMKTS:SAXPY) saw a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 100,342 shares, a growth of 3,343.4% from the April 30th total of 2,914 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 204,843 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised Sampo from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised Sampo to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Sampo in a report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sampo presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Sampo Stock Performance

Shares of SAXPY traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $21.47. 64,678 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 96,644. Sampo has a twelve month low of $19.93 and a twelve month high of $24.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $114.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.91 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.23.

Sampo (OTCMKTS:SAXPY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.48 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sampo will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current year.

About Sampo

Sampo plc is a Finland-based insurance and financial services group that primarily underwrites property and casualty (P&C) insurance while also offering life insurance and related financial products. The company operates through subsidiaries that provide a mix of retail and corporate insurance solutions, claims handling and risk management services. Its business model emphasizes underwriting discipline and diversified exposure across personal, commercial and specialty insurance lines.

Sampo’s operations include well-known subsidiaries that deliver core products and services: a Nordic P&C insurer that writes motor, property, liability and specialty lines, and a life insurance and wealth management arm that offers savings, pension solutions and asset management services.