BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 143.1% in September

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BWLP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Clarkson Capital raised BW LPG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded BW LPG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded BW LPG from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Pareto Securities raised shares of BW LPG from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BW LPG

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in BW LPG in the second quarter worth about $448,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in BW LPG by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 18,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 7,950 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in BW LPG by 52.9% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 17,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 5,909 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,626,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in shares of BW LPG in the 2nd quarter valued at about $335,000.

BW LPG Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of BW LPG stock traded up $0.13 on Friday, hitting $24.19. 246,226 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 470,607. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $23.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. BW LPG has a 52 week low of $11.72 and a 52 week high of $26.47. The company has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.23 and a beta of 0.99.

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

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were issued a NOK 8.89 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $35.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 147.0%. This is a positive change from BW LPG’s previous quarterly dividend of NOK 6.20. BW LPG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.