ITT Inc. (NYSE:ITT) Short Interest Update

ITT Inc. (NYSE:ITT - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,460,000 shares, an increase of 23.7% from the April 30th total of 1,180,000 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 671,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

ITT Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE:ITT traded down $0.98 on Thursday, hitting $149.78. The stock had a trading volume of 330,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,312. The stock has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.40. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $137.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.84. ITT has a 1 year low of $105.64 and a 1 year high of $161.13.

ITT (NYSE:ITT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The conglomerate reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $913.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.22 million. ITT had a return on equity of 18.03% and a net margin of 14.27%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. Analysts predict that ITT will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

ITT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.351 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. ITT's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in ITT by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,486 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of ITT by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 749 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in shares of ITT by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,970 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Prudent Man Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of ITT by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC now owns 4,280 shares of the conglomerate's stock valued at $553,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in ITT by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 16,643 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $2,150,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 91.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of ITT from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. KeyCorp raised their target price on ITT from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup cut their target price on ITT from $181.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of ITT from $161.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on ITT from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.50.

ITT Company Profile

ITT Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells engineered critical components and customized technology solutions for the transportation, industrial, and energy markets in the United States and internationally. The Motion Technologies segment manufactures brake pads, shims, shock absorbers, and energy absorption components; and sealing technologies primarily for the transportation industry, including passenger cars, trucks, light- and heavy-duty commercial and military vehicles, buses, and trains.