Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 109,477 shares, a growth of 621.8% from the April 30th total of 15,167 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 132,475 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Japan Tob from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $17.00.

Japan Tob Price Performance

Japan Tob stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.24. 55,510 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 174,612. Japan Tob has a one year low of $14.02 and a one year high of $20.68. The stock has a market cap of $68.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.24 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.93. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $18.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.65.

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Japan Tob will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Japan Tob Company Profile

Japan Tobacco Inc (OTC: JAPAY) is a Tokyo-based multinational company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. The company’s core activities include the development, production and distribution of cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery products for domestic and international markets. Japan Tobacco also pursues business activities beyond tobacco, including pharmaceutical and processed‑food operations through subsidiary units and strategic investments.

In its tobacco operations the company serves both the Japanese market and a broad international footprint through its global operating arm, Japan Tobacco International (JTI).