Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest rose 26.9% in March to 2,068,251 shares (about 1.8% of the stock), with a days-to-cover ratio of 1.8 days.
• Analyst consensus is negative — Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" and MarketBeat lists the stock's consensus rating as "Sell".
• Institutional activity increased recently (Goldman Sachs up 66.8%, Two Sigma up 407.4%), and institutions now own roughly 48.68% of Diana Shipping.

Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,068,251 shares, an increase of 26.9% from the February 26th total of 1,629,734 shares. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,159,541 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Diana Shipping in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diana Shipping

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DSX. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA purchased a new position in shares of Diana Shipping in the third quarter valued at $72,000. Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Diana Shipping during the 4th quarter valued at about $88,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Diana Shipping during the 4th quarter valued at about $112,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Diana Shipping by 66.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 70,879 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 28,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Diana Shipping by 407.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 80,684 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 64,784 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 48.68% of the company's stock.

Diana Shipping Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE DSX traded down $0.03 on Monday, hitting $2.39. 167,033 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 776,193. Diana Shipping has a fifty-two week low of $1.27 and a fifty-two week high of $2.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $2.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.99. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 2.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $276.16 million, a PE ratio of 21.68 and a beta of 0.64.

Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The shipping company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter. Diana Shipping had a return on equity of 3.60% and a net margin of 8.35%.The business had revenue of $52.05 million for the quarter.

Diana Shipping Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Diana Shipping's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.36%.

Diana Shipping Company Profile

Diana Shipping Inc is a global shipping company incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and headquartered in Athens, Greece. The company specializes in the ownership and operation of dry bulk vessels that transport a variety of commodities, including coal, iron ore, grains, fertilizers, steel products and other bulk materials. Diana Shipping’s fleet comprises Panamax, Capesize, Newcastlemax and Supramax/Newcastlemax segments, enabling it to address the needs of customers on key global trade routes.

The company conducts its operations by chartering vessels on short‐term voyage charters and longer‐term period charters.

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