BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest in BW LPG jumped sharply in June, rising 231.5% to 1,415,665 shares by June 30 from 427,049 shares on June 15. That still represents only about 0.9% of the float, with a short-interest ratio of 3.1 days.
• The company recently boosted its dividend dramatically, paying a quarterly dividend of $6.196 per share versus $0.57 previously. That implies a very high annualized yield of 125.8%, though the payout ratio is also elevated at 112.61%.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed, with analysts split between Buy and Hold ratings and an overall average rating of “Hold.” Recent moves included both upgrades and downgrades, reflecting uncertainty around the stock’s outlook.

BW LPG Limited (NYSE:BWLP - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,415,665 shares, an increase of 231.5% from the June 15th total of 427,049 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 453,792 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

BW LPG Stock Performance

Shares of BWLP opened at $19.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. BW LPG has a 52-week low of $11.72 and a 52-week high of $22.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.45. The company has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 8.28 and a beta of 1.29.

BW LPG (NYSE:BWLP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter. BW LPG had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 18.51%. The company had revenue of $838.89 million for the quarter.

BW LPG Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a $6.196 dividend. This represents a $24.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 125.8%. This is a positive change from BW LPG's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 12th. BW LPG's dividend payout ratio is currently 112.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Dnb Carnegie raised BW LPG from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of BW LPG from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of BW LPG in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Pareto Securities downgraded shares of BW LPG from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of BW LPG from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BW LPG presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BW LPG

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in BW LPG by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,621,504 shares of the company's stock worth $47,163,000 after acquiring an additional 35,066 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of BW LPG by 506.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 51,171 shares of the company's stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 42,736 shares in the last quarter. Fearnley Asset Management AS purchased a new position in shares of BW LPG during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,388,000. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of BW LPG by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 299,497 shares of the company's stock worth $3,923,000 after purchasing an additional 38,850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, U S Global Investors Inc. lifted its stake in BW LPG by 191.6% in the 1st quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 49,708 shares of the company's stock valued at $880,000 after buying an additional 32,659 shares in the last quarter.

About BW LPG

BW LPG NYSE: BWLP is a pure‐play owner and operator of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. The company's core business centers on the maritime transportation of LPG, predominantly propane and butane, under both time‐ and voyage‐charter arrangements. Its fleet comprises pressurized and semi‐refrigerated vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of LPG producers, traders and end‐users around the world.

Headquartered in Singapore, BW LPG serves a global customer base, with commercial offices in key energy hubs including Houston, London, Dubai and Tokyo.

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