B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ:RILY) Lifted to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ:RILY) to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

B. Riley Financial Trading Down 7.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:RILY traded down $2.48 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.10. The company had a trading volume of 1,108,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,453,402. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.59. The firm has a market cap of $937.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.15 and a beta of 1.34. B. Riley Financial has a 1-year low of $14.46 and a 1-year high of $60.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.33, a quick ratio of 4.88 and a current ratio of 4.88.

B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ:RILY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The asset manager reported ($1.86) EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $346.51 million during the quarter. B. Riley Financial had a negative return on equity of 8.40% and a negative net margin of 4.75%.

B. Riley Financial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. B. Riley Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -71.68%.

Institutional Trading of B. Riley Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RILY. LexAurum Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in B. Riley Financial in the 1st quarter worth about $608,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of B. Riley Financial by 33.3% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 19,489 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 4,866 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of B. Riley Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,001,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in B. Riley Financial by 97.3% during the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 45,050 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 22,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in B. Riley Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $713,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.20% of the company’s stock.

About B. Riley Financial

B. Riley Financial, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services to corporate, institutional, and high net worth clients in North America, Australia, the Asia Pacific, and Europe. The company operates through six segments: Capital Markets, Wealth Management, Financial Consulting, Auction and Liquidation, Communications, and Consumer.