Short Interest in Halma (OTCMKTS:HLMAF) Grows By 83.3%

Key Points

• Short Interest Surge: Halma experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 83.3% in August to a total of 91,100 shares, although currently, only 0.0% of its shares are short sold.
• Dividend Announcement: The company declared a special dividend of $0.19 per share, yielding 71.0%, which was paid on August 15th.
• Analyst Ratings Update: The stock has mixed ratings with four analysts giving it a "strong buy", while Zacks recently downgraded it to "hold", leaving it with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Halma (OTCMKTS:HLMAF - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 91,100 shares, a growth of 83.3% from the August 15th total of 49,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 39,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's stock are sold short. Currently, 0.0% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 39,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HLMAF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Halma to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Halma in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Halma to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Halma in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Halma from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Halma currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Halma Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of OTCMKTS HLMAF traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $45.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,389. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $44.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.03. Halma has a one year low of $29.83 and a one year high of $46.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 2.44.

Halma Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 11th were given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 71.0%.

About Halma

Halma plc, together its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions in the safety, health, and environmental markets in the United States, Mainland Europe, the United Kingdom, the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Safety, Environmental & Analysis, and Medical.