Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO) Short Interest Up 37.1% in March

Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 971,300 shares, a growth of 37.1% from the March 15th total of 708,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 327,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 9.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Genesco

In related news, major shareholder Fund 1 Investments, Llc sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,097,850 shares in the company, valued at $22,758,430.50. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gregory A. Sandfort bought 10,974 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $22.92 per share, for a total transaction of $251,524.08. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $613,201.68. The trade was a 69.54 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 7.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Genesco during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Genesco in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $111,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Genesco by 7,348.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,938 shares of the company's stock worth $190,000 after purchasing an additional 8,818 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments acquired a new position in shares of Genesco during the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Genesco in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.51% of the company's stock.

Genesco Price Performance

GCO stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $19.95. 67,502 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 206,279. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $25.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.33. Genesco has a 52-week low of $16.19 and a 52-week high of $44.80. The company has a market cap of $220.15 million, a P/E ratio of -8.17 and a beta of 2.25.

Genesco (NYSE:GCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 7th. The company reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $745.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $780.43 million. Genesco had a positive return on equity of 0.56% and a negative net margin of 1.13%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Genesco will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Genesco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th.

About Genesco

Genesco Inc operates as a retailer and wholesaler of footwear, apparel, and accessories in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. The company operates through four segments: Journeys Group, Schuh Group, Johnston & Murphy Group, and Genesco Brands.