Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE:JWN) Short Interest Up 11.2% in April

Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE:JWN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 22,970,000 shares, an increase of 11.2% from the April 15th total of 20,660,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,040,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.7 days. Approximately 21.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Nordstrom Price Performance

NYSE JWN traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $21.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,750,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,111,506. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.58, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 2.59. Nordstrom has a 52 week low of $12.88 and a 52 week high of $23.53. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.13.

Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The specialty retailer reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $4.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Nordstrom had a net margin of 0.91% and a return on equity of 49.30%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.74 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Nordstrom will post 1.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Nordstrom Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 11th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Nordstrom's payout ratio is currently 95.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $17.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of Nordstrom in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Nordstrom from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Nordstrom from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Nordstrom from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Nordstrom from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $16.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nordstrom

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Nordstrom in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nordstrom by 77.6% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in shares of Nordstrom in the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. Spire Wealth Management raised its stake in Nordstrom by 100.0% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 2,200 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in Nordstrom by 1,000.3% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,730 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 3,391 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.73% of the company's stock.

Nordstrom Company Profile

Nordstrom, Inc, a fashion retailer, provides apparels, shoes, beauty, accessories, and home goods for women, men, young adults, and children. It offers a range of brand-name and private-label merchandise through various channels, such as Nordstrom branded stores and online at Nordstrom.com; Nordstrom.ca; Nordstrom stores; Nordstrom Rack stores; Nordstrom Locals; ASOS; Nordstromrack.com; mobile application; and clearance stores under the Last Chance name.