Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest surged 136.9% to 82,804 shares as of July 31, up from 34,955 shares two weeks earlier; the stock’s days-to-cover ratio stood at 0.7 days.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with one Buy, one Hold, and one Sell rating, resulting in a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $17.00.
• Japan Tob reported quarterly EPS of $0.41, beating estimates of $0.33, while revenue of $6.67 billion exceeded expectations of $6.15 billion; shares recently traded at $22.31, near their 52-week high.

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 82,804 shares, a growth of 136.9% from the July 15th total of 34,955 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 112,111 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on JAPAY. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Japan Tob in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Japan Tob from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.00.

Japan Tob Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS JAPAY traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $22.31. The company had a trading volume of 49,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,189. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $19.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.15. The stock has a market cap of $79.22 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Japan Tob has a 1-year low of $15.56 and a 1-year high of $22.62.

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.15 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Japan Tob will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently bought a new position in Japan Tob stock. X Square Capital LLC bought a new position in Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,844 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $608,000.

Japan Tob Company Profile

Japan Tobacco Inc OTC: JAPAY is a Tokyo-based multinational company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. The company's core activities include the development, production and distribution of cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery products for domestic and international markets. Japan Tobacco also pursues business activities beyond tobacco, including pharmaceutical and processed‑food operations through subsidiary units and strategic investments.

In its tobacco operations the company serves both the Japanese market and a broad international footprint through its global operating arm, Japan Tobacco International (JTI).

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