Short Interest in Superior Group of Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGC) Rises By 27.8%

Superior Group of Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 112,500 shares, an increase of 27.8% from the March 31st total of 88,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 60,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on SGC. Singular Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Superior Group of Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Barrington Research upped their target price on Superior Group of Companies from $13.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Superior Group of Companies from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Superior Group of Companies news, insider Philip Koosed sold 9,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the insider now owns 82,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,289,299.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Paul V. Mellini sold 6,000 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director now owns 92,955 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,455,675.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Philip Koosed sold 9,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.64, for a total value of $140,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Company insiders own 27.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Superior Group of Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC bought a new stake in Superior Group of Companies during the third quarter worth $32,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Superior Group of Companies during the fourth quarter worth $113,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Superior Group of Companies by 78.1% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 16,218 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 7,111 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its stake in Superior Group of Companies by 67.6% during the third quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 18,364 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 7,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Superior Group of Companies by 1,040.2% in the 3rd quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 22,803 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $177,000 after acquiring an additional 20,803 shares during the last quarter. 33.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Superior Group of Companies Price Performance

Shares of SGC stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.87. The company had a trading volume of 32,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,302. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 2.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.90 million, a P/E ratio of 30.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $15.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.32. Superior Group of Companies has a one year low of $7.23 and a one year high of $17.70.

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

Superior Group of Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. Superior Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.82%.

About Superior Group of Companies

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.