Superior Group of Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGC) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Superior Group of Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 88,000 shares, a drop of 25.8% from the March 15th total of 118,600 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 66,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Superior Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Barrington Research lifted their target price on Superior Group of Companies from $13.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Singular Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Superior Group of Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Philip Koosed sold 9,000 shares of Superior Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.64, for a total transaction of $140,760.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 82,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,289,299.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Superior Group of Companies news, Director Paul V. Mellini sold 6,000 shares of Superior Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.66, for a total value of $93,960.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 92,955 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,455,675.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Philip Koosed sold 9,000 shares of Superior Group of Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.64, for a total value of $140,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 82,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,289,299.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 27.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SGC. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Superior Group of Companies by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,514 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Superior Group of Companies by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 100,196 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,788,000 after buying an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA increased its position in Superior Group of Companies by 68.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 3,121 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,263 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in Superior Group of Companies by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 20,600 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in Superior Group of Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 111,019 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $1,499,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares in the last quarter. 33.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Superior Group of Companies Trading Down 4.1 %

SGC traded down $0.67 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $15.84. 36,039 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 64,916. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $15.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.57. Superior Group of Companies has a 52-week low of $7.16 and a 52-week high of $17.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.69 million, a PE ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.40.

Superior Group of Companies (NASDAQ:SGC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The textile maker reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.08. Superior Group of Companies had a return on equity of 4.51% and a net margin of 1.61%. The company had revenue of $147.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.59 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Superior Group of Companies will post 0.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Superior Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Superior Group of Companies's payout ratio is 101.82%.

Superior Group of Companies Company Profile

Superior Group of Companies, Inc manufactures and sells apparel and accessories in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Branded Products, Healthcare Apparel, and Contact Centers. The Branded Products segment produces and sells customized merchandising solutions, promotional products, and branded uniform to chain retailer, food service, entertainment, technology, transportation, and other industries under BAMKO and HPI brands.