Short Interest in LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE:LPL) Grows By 27.6%

Key Points

• LG Display Co., Ltd. experienced a 27.6% increase in short interest in August, with a total of 619,700 shares sold short as of August 15.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their stakes, including Vident Advisory LLC which grew its holdings by 46.2% in the first quarter.
• Despite missing earnings estimates with an EPS of $0.62 against a consensus of $0.69, LG Display reported revenue of $4.09 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of $3.85 billion.

LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE:LPL - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 619,700 shares, a growth of 27.6% from the July 31st total of 485,500 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 357,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 357,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on LPL shares. UBS Group downgraded LG Display from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley raised LG Display from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce".

LG Display Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:LPL traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $4.46. The company had a trading volume of 540,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,180. The stock has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.41. LG Display has a one year low of $2.43 and a one year high of $4.97. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

LG Display (NYSE:LPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The electronics maker reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $4.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. LG Display had a negative return on equity of 7.60% and a negative net margin of 2.25%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that LG Display will post 0.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in LG Display by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,510,470 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $5,166,000 after buying an additional 161,409 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in LG Display by 46.2% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 392,350 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 123,994 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in LG Display by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 375,539 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $1,284,000 after purchasing an additional 12,198 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in LG Display by 58.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 259,673 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $904,000 after purchasing an additional 95,675 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in LG Display by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 258,161 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 82,207 shares in the last quarter.

LG Display Company Profile

LG Display Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology-based display panels. Its TFT-LCD and OLED technology-based display panels are primarily used in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablet computers, mobile devices, and automotive displays.