Adecco SA (OTCMKTS:AHEXY) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Adecco’s short interest surged 279.3% to 512 shares as of September 15, up from 135 shares at the end of August. Despite the increase, short interest represents about 0.0% of shares outstanding, with a days-to-cover ratio of 0.0.
• The stock opened at $14.70, above its 200-day moving average of $12.15 and near the upper end of its 52-week range of $8.98 to $16.26. Adecco has a $5.11 billion market capitalization and a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.55.
• Adecco exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.35 in earnings per share versus the $0.30 consensus estimate and $6.93 billion in revenue versus $6.83 billion expected. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of “Hold.”

Adecco SA (OTCMKTS:AHEXY - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 512 shares, an increase of 279.3% from the August 31st total of 135 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 29,403 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.0 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Adecco Price Performance

Adecco stock opened at $14.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.55, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.15. Adecco has a 52 week low of $8.98 and a 52 week high of $16.26.

Adecco (OTCMKTS:AHEXY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The business services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.83 billion. Adecco had a return on equity of 12.67% and a net margin of 1.25%. On average, research analysts forecast that Adecco will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised Adecco from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Adecco from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Adecco from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Adecco in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Adecco in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Adecco Company Profile

Adecco, part of The Adecco Group, is a global workforce solutions and talent advisory company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The company connects businesses with workers through temporary staffing, permanent placement and recruitment services across a broad range of industries and skill levels.

Its offerings also include workforce outsourcing, career transition and outplacement, professional development, talent consulting and other human resources services. The Adecco Group operates through brands including Adecco, LHH and Akkodis, which provides engineering, information technology and digital consulting services.

The company traces its history to the 1996 merger of the Swiss staffing firm Adia and France-based Ecco.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.