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

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) saw a large growth in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 82,804 shares, a growth of 136.9% from the July 15th total of 34,955 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 112,111 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on JAPAY. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Japan Tob in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Japan Tob from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.00.

Japan Tob Price Performance

JAPAY stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.34. 52,287 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 71,225. Japan Tob has a 52 week low of $15.56 and a 52 week high of $22.62. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $19.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.27.

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Japan Tob will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently bought a new stake in Japan Tob stock. X Square Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 9,844 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $608,000.

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).