Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest fell 62.3% to 28,899 shares as of October 15, down from 76,677 shares at the end of September. Short interest now represents 0.0% of shares outstanding, with a days-to-cover ratio of 0.1.
• Several institutional investors increased their Air Liquide holdings or initiated new positions, although institutional ownership remains very low at 0.03% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Air Liquide has a consensus “Buy” rating, with recommendations including two Strong Buys, two Buys and one Hold.

Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 28,899 shares, a drop of 62.3% from the September 30th total of 76,677 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 574,923 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Liquide

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Air Liquide during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,402,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Air Liquide by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 13,518 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Liquide by 22.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,484 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 2,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AIQUY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Air Liquide in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Air Liquide from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley raised Air Liquide from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Air Liquide to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Liquide has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Air Liquide Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:AIQUY opened at $38.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Air Liquide has a 12-month low of $32.88 and a 12-month high of $41.24. The business's 50 day moving average is $38.64 and its 200 day moving average is $39.80.

About Air Liquide

Air Liquide is a global supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases, along with related technologies and services. The company produces and distributes gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, argon, carbon dioxide and helium for use in industries including manufacturing, chemicals, energy, electronics, food and beverages, and scientific research. Its offerings also include gas-management systems, equipment and process solutions designed to support customers' production and safety requirements.

Through its healthcare activities, Air Liquide supplies medical gases, respiratory-care products and services to hospitals, healthcare professionals and patients receiving care at home.

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