United-Guardian, Inc. (NASDAQ:UG) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

United-Guardian, Inc. (NASDAQ:UG) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 11,544 shares, a growth of 85.0% from the July 30th total of 6,241 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 8,926 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

United-Guardian Stock Performance

Shares of United-Guardian stock traded up $0.26 on Monday, reaching $7.41. 4,503 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,199. The company has a market capitalization of $34.03 million, a P/E ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.95. United-Guardian has a 52 week low of $5.58 and a 52 week high of $8.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $7.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.94.

United-Guardian (NASDAQ:UG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $3.11 million during the quarter. United-Guardian had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 22.24%.

United-Guardian Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 28th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 819.0%. United-Guardian’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of United-Guardian from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, United-Guardian currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United-Guardian

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UG. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in United-Guardian in the 2nd quarter valued at about $105,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United-Guardian in the second quarter valued at approximately $143,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United-Guardian by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 2,691 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in shares of United-Guardian by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 162,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of United-Guardian by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 186,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,150,000 after acquiring an additional 1,882 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 23.16% of the company’s stock.

About United-Guardian

United-Guardian, Inc, headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, develops and supplies specialty ingredients and finished products for the personal care, cosmetic and esthetic markets. Its Specialty Ingredients segment offers antimicrobial preservatives, conditioning polymers, emulsifiers, UV filters and other functional actives that are incorporated into lotions, creams, shampoos and professional esthetic formulations.

The company’s Finished Products segment markets a range of skin and hair care items under the Guardian brand, providing private-label and contract manufacturing services to spas, salons and dermatology clinics.