Arkema SA (OTCMKTS:ARKAY) Short Interest Up 41.7% in July

Key Points

• Arkema SA experienced a 41.7% increase in short interest for July, rising to a total of 3,400 shares from 2,400 shares earlier in the month.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss with EPS of $1.77, falling short of the $2.09 consensus estimate, while revenue exceeded expectations at $2.75 billion.
• Analysts currently rate Arkema with a consensus of "Hold," including one Strong Buy, one Buy, two Holds, and one Sell rating.

Arkema SA (OTCMKTS:ARKAY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,400 shares, anincreaseof41.7% from the July 15th total of 2,400 shares. Currently,0.0% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 48,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 48,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Currently,0.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ARKAY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Arkema in a report on Thursday, April 24th. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Arkema in a report on Friday, July 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Arkema to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of Arkema from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Arkema Trading Up 3.4%

OTCMKTS:ARKAY opened at $73.7780 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $72.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.91. Arkema has a 52 week low of $64.94 and a 52 week high of $98.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.05.

Arkema (OTCMKTS:ARKAY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.32). Arkema had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 6.41%. The firm had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.29 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Arkema will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Arkema

Arkema SA manufactures and sells specialty chemicals and advanced materials worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials and Coating Solutions, and Intermediates. The Adhesive Solutions segment provides solutions for construction, renovation of buildings, DIY, durable goods, and packaging and non-woven applications; and supplies technologies used in building activities for businesses and individuals, including sealants, tiles, flooring adhesives and waterproofing systems, and technologies used in industry, which include automotive, textiles, glazing, flexible and rigid packaging, and hygiene markets.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.