Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) Short Interest Update

Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 944,434 shares, a growth of 23.4% from the December 15th total of 765,387 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 560,672 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 560,672 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Diana Shipping Stock Down 2.4%

DSX stock opened at $2.04 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $236.19 million, a PE ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.68. Diana Shipping has a 1 year low of $1.27 and a 1 year high of $2.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.72. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The shipping company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $51.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.00 million. Diana Shipping had a return on equity of 4.93% and a net margin of 11.18%.

Diana Shipping Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. Diana Shipping’s payout ratio is 36.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Diana Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diana Shipping in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Sell”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Diana Shipping

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Diana Shipping by 117.1% in the second quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 35,600 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 19,205 shares during the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its stake in Diana Shipping by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 2,841,710 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $4,149,000 after buying an additional 417,275 shares during the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA bought a new position in Diana Shipping in the 3rd quarter worth $72,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Diana Shipping during the 3rd quarter worth $1,088,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Diana Shipping during the third quarter valued at about $278,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 48.68% of the company’s stock.

About Diana Shipping

Diana Shipping Inc is a global shipping company incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and headquartered in Athens, Greece. The company specializes in the ownership and operation of dry bulk vessels that transport a variety of commodities, including coal, iron ore, grains, fertilizers, steel products and other bulk materials. Diana Shipping’s fleet comprises Panamax, Capesize, Newcastlemax and Supramax/Newcastlemax segments, enabling it to address the needs of customers on key global trade routes.

The company conducts its operations by chartering vessels on short‐term voyage charters and longer‐term period charters.