Short Interest in Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) Decreases By 27.2%

Key Points

• Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE: KEP) experienced a 27.2% decline in short interest for August, with 909,700 shares compared to 1,250,000 in July.
• Several hedge funds significantly increased their positions in KEP, including Hantz Financial Services which lifted its stake by 204.3%.
• The stock's price rose 2.3% to $13.68, while its earnings report showed a quarterly EPS of $1.25, outperforming estimates.

Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 909,700 shares, a drop of 27.2% from the July 31st total of 1,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 663,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 663,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Korea Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KEP traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.40. 313,737 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 358,136. Korea Electric Power has a 52 week low of $6.68 and a 52 week high of $15.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.20 billion, a PE ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.94. The company's 50 day moving average price is $13.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.92.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 17th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.35. Korea Electric Power had a net margin of 5.53% and a return on equity of 13.16%. The company had revenue of $16.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.04 billion.

Institutional Trading of Korea Electric Power

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Korea Electric Power by 105.9% during the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 145,455 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,078,000 after acquiring an additional 74,818 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Korea Electric Power by 15.4% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 60,708 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 8,118 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Korea Electric Power by 4.3% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 49,141 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 2,029 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Korea Electric Power by 6.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 443,061 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,283,000 after purchasing an additional 26,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Korea Electric Power by 37.7% in the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 54,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 14,846 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Korea Electric Power from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th.

Korea Electric Power Company Profile

Korea Electric Power Corporation, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through Transmission and Distribution, Nuclear Power Generation, Thermal Power Generation, and Others segments.