Anadarko Petroleum Co. (NASDAQ:APC) Short Interest Up 145.5% in June

Key Points

• Short interest surged 145.5% in June, reaching 787,740 shares by June 30, or about 6.3% of Anadarko Petroleum’s float. The days-to-cover ratio is 2.2 based on average trading volume.
• The stock rose 5.5% and opened at $20.17, trading near its 52-week high of $21.72. Despite this move, the shares remain well below the 200-day moving average of $32.98.
• Recent fundamentals and analyst views were mixed: Anadarko reported Q1 EPS of $0.20, matching estimates, while revenue edged down 0.2% year over year. Analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a target price of $21.60.

Anadarko Petroleum Co. (NASDAQ:APC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 787,740 shares, an increase of 145.5% from the June 15th total of 320,915 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 358,318 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 6.3% of the company's shares are short sold.

Anadarko Petroleum Stock Up 5.5%

NASDAQ:APC opened at $20.17 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $253.54 million, a PE ratio of 46.91, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.64. Anadarko Petroleum has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $21.72. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.98.

Anadarko Petroleum (NASDAQ:APC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The oil and gas development company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. Anadarko Petroleum had a positive return on equity of 10.49% and a negative net margin of 4.20%.Anadarko Petroleum's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Anadarko Petroleum will post 1.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Anadarko Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Anadarko Petroleum in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a "sell (e)" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $21.60.

About Anadarko Petroleum

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and gas properties. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, WES Midstream, and Other Midstream. The company explores for and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). It is also involved in gathering, processing, treating, and transporting oil, natural-gas, and NGLs production, as well as the gathering and disposal of produced water. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the United States onshore and deepwater Gulf of Mexico; and Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and other countries.

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