Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 92.5% in October

Key Points

• Air Liquide’s short interest rose 92.5% to 55,622 shares by October 30, though only 0.0% of shares were short and the days-to-cover ratio was 0.1.
• Analyst views were mixed: Zacks Research cut its rating to “strong sell,” while other firms issued or maintained positive ratings. MarketBeat’s overall consensus remains Buy.
• Shares traded at $42.56, close to the 12-month high of $42.96; institutional investors and hedge funds owned 0.03% of the stock.

Air Liquide (OTCMKTS:AIQUY - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 30th, there was short interest totaling 55,622 shares, an increase of 92.5% from the October 15th total of 28,899 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 432,809 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Air Liquide from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Air Liquide from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Air Liquide in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Air Liquide to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Liquide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AIQUY. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Liquide by 4.6% in 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 during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Liquide by 274.6% during the third quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,502 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Liquide by 6.8% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 32,573 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,352,000 after buying an additional 2,061 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Air Liquide by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,977 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 2,259 shares during the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Liquide Stock Performance

AIQUY traded up $0.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $42.56. The company had a trading volume of 931,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 251,713. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.87. Air Liquide has a 12 month low of $32.88 and a 12 month high of $42.96. The business's fifty day moving average price is $39.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.08.

Air Liquide Company Profile

Air Liquide is a France-based group that supplies industrial and medical gases, technologies, and services to customers around the world. Founded in 1902, the company grew from the development of technology to separate gases from air. Its products include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and specialty gases, along with equipment and services for producing and managing gas supplies. Air Liquide serves a range of industries, including healthcare, electronics, chemicals, energy, and manufacturing.

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