Azul S.A. (NYSE:AZUL) Short Interest Up 32.0% in May

Azul S.A. (NYSE:AZUL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 20,900,000 shares, a growth of 32.0% from the April 30th total of 15,830,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 5,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days. Approximately 5.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Azul Price Performance

Shares of Azul stock remained flat at $0.50 during trading on Thursday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $0.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.67. Azul has a one year low of $0.45 and a one year high of $5.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.88.

Azul (NYSE:AZUL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The company reported ($2.18) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($2.21). The firm had revenue of $923.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Azul will post -1.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZUL. Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Azul by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 48,168 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 6,844 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Azul by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 63,338 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 8,899 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC raised its holdings in Azul by 44.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 29,311 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 9,038 shares during the last quarter. Trellis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Azul during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new stake in Azul in the first quarter valued at $38,000. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on AZUL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Azul from $2.70 to $2.40 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Azul from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Raymond James cut shares of Azul from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Azul from $4.50 to $0.50 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $3.32.

Azul Company Profile

Azul SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides air transportation services in Brazil and internationally. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated approximately 1,000 daily departures to 160 destinations through a network of 300 non-stop routes with an operating fleet of 183 aircraft and a passenger contractual fleet of 189 aircraft.