Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) Short Interest Up 22.8% in April

Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,480,000 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the March 31st total of 2,020,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 925,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company's stock are sold short.

Koninklijke Philips Stock Performance

Shares of Koninklijke Philips stock traded up $0.64 on Friday, reaching $25.62. 1,498,900 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 818,917. The company has a 50 day moving average of $25.04 and a 200 day moving average of $26.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.74. Koninklijke Philips has a 52 week low of $21.48 and a 52 week high of $32.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a PE ratio of -30.50, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.81.

Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The technology company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.01). Koninklijke Philips had a positive return on equity of 10.85% and a negative net margin of 3.88%. The firm had revenue of $5.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.10 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Koninklijke Philips Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a $0.886 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. Koninklijke Philips's payout ratio is -89.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PHG shares. UBS Group raised shares of Koninklijke Philips from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. BNP Paribas raised Koninklijke Philips from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Koninklijke Philips from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Koninklijke Philips from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Koninklijke Philips currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Institutional Trading of Koninklijke Philips

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 14.8% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 15,711 shares of the technology company's stock worth $399,000 after buying an additional 2,028 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Koninklijke Philips by 30.6% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 80,767 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,051,000 after purchasing an additional 18,906 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,638 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 9.1% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 79,162 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 6,625 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Koninklijke Philips in the first quarter worth $238,000. Institutional investors own 13.67% of the company's stock.

Koninklijke Philips Company Profile

Koninklijke Philips N.V. operates as a health technology company in North America, the Greater China, and internationally. The company operates through Diagnosis & Treatment Businesses, Connected Care Businesses, and Personal Health Businesses segments. It also provides diagnostic imaging solutions, includes magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray systems, and computed tomography (CT) systems and software comprising detector-based spectral CT solutions, as well as molecular and hybrid imaging solutions for nuclear medicine; echography solutions focused on diagnosis, treatment planning and guidance for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and point-of-care applications; integrated interventional systems, and interventional diagnostic and therapeutic devices to treat coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease.

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