Short Interest in The Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG) Declines By 5.7%

The Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,490,000 shares, a drop of 5.7% from the March 15th total of 16,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,360,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.6 days. Approximately 7.7% of the company's stock are short sold.

The Carlyle Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CG traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $45.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,957,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,314,278. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $45.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.84. The Carlyle Group has a one year low of $25.20 and a one year high of $48.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.27, a quick ratio of 2.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.79.

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $896.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $860.68 million. The Carlyle Group had a negative net margin of 20.53% and a positive return on equity of 19.74%. The Carlyle Group's revenue for the quarter was down 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that The Carlyle Group will post 3.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Carlyle Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. The Carlyle Group's dividend payout ratio is currently -82.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on CG shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $34.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of The Carlyle Group in a report on Thursday, January 4th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of The Carlyle Group from a "b-" rating to a "c" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Carlyle Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $43.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Carlyle Group news, major shareholder Carlyle Group Inc. acquired 190,000 shares of The Carlyle Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.95 per share, for a total transaction of $2,460,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 1,066,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,807,147.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 27.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The Carlyle Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in The Carlyle Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,410,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in The Carlyle Group by 347.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 111,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,556,000 after buying an additional 86,914 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in The Carlyle Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,324,000. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Carlyle Group by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 37,377 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,121,000 after buying an additional 4,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in The Carlyle Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,578,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.88% of the company's stock.

The Carlyle Group Company Profile

The Carlyle Group Inc is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. Within direct investments, it specializes in management-led/ Leveraged buyouts, privatizations, divestitures, strategic minority equity investments, structured credit, global distressed and corporate opportunities, small and middle market, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, senior debt, mezzanine and leveraged finance, and venture and growth capital financings, seed/startup, early venture, emerging growth, turnaround, mid venture, late venture, PIPES.