Brenntag AG (OTCMKTS:BNTGY) Short Interest Up 25,094.3% in March

Key Points

• Short interest surged by 25,094.3% in March to 48,877 shares (from 194), yet still represents 0.0% of shares sold short and a days-to-cover of 0.3 days.
• Analysts are broadly negative with a MarketBeat consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $12.80 following a mix of Hold and Sell recommendations.
• Brenntag missed quarterly estimates, reporting ($0.04) EPS versus $0.24 expected and revenue of $4.09B versus $4.22B, while the stock trades around $13.62 (market cap ≈ $9.83B).

Brenntag AG (OTCMKTS:BNTGY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 48,877 shares, a growth of 25,094.3% from the March 15th total of 194 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 140,322 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on BNTGY. Barclays upgraded Brenntag to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Morgan Stanley lowered Brenntag from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Brenntag has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $12.80.

Brenntag Stock Performance

Brenntag stock traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $13.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 157,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,305. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.22 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's fifty day moving average is $12.41 and its 200 day moving average is $11.82. Brenntag has a 1-year low of $10.19 and a 1-year high of $14.14.

Brenntag (OTCMKTS:BNTGY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.28). Brenntag had a net margin of 1.71% and a return on equity of 5.88%. The business had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Brenntag will post 0.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Brenntag

Brenntag SE, trading on OTCMKTS as BNTGY, is a global market leader in the distribution of chemicals and ingredients. With headquarters in Essen, Germany, the company serves a wide range of industries including coatings and construction, cleaning and water treatment, food and nutrition, pharmaceuticals and personal care, as well as oil and gas. Brenntag operates through two core segments—Essentials and Specialties—offering both standard commodity chemicals and tailored specialty solutions to customers around the world.

Its product portfolio encompasses inorganic and organic chemicals, polymers, petrochemicals and specialty ingredients.

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