Arkema SA (OTCMKTS:ARKAY) Stock Short Interest Jumps 133.4%

Key Points

• Arkema’s short interest rose 133.4% to 1,858 shares as of September 15, up from 796 shares at the end of August. Despite the increase, short interest represented approximately 0.0% of shares outstanding, with a days-to-cover ratio of 0.8.
• Analyst sentiment remained cautious, with one Buy rating, six Holds and one Sell; the consensus rating was Hold. Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to Neutral, while Barclays upgraded it from Strong Sell to Hold.
• Arkema shares opened at $64.50, near the lower end of their 12-month range of $56.28 to $79.36. In its latest quarter, the company beat earnings expectations with EPS of $1.98 versus $1.86 expected, but revenue of $2.79 billion came in below the $2.86 billion estimate.

Arkema SA (OTCMKTS:ARKAY - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,858 shares, a growth of 133.4% from the August 31st total of 796 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,376 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ARKAY. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Arkema from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Arkema in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Arkema from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Arkema Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of ARKAY opened at $64.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.77. The stock has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 222.41 and a beta of 0.85. Arkema has a 12 month low of $56.28 and a 12 month high of $79.36.

Arkema (OTCMKTS:ARKAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.12. Arkema had a return on equity of 4.30% and a net margin of 0.67%.The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. Equities analysts predict that Arkema will post 3.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Arkema

Arkema is a France-based specialty materials company that develops and manufactures high-performance materials for industrial and consumer applications. Its portfolio includes advanced polymers, adhesives, coating materials, specialty additives and other chemical products designed to improve durability, performance and sustainability.

The company serves industries such as automotive, construction, consumer goods, electronics, energy, packaging, sports and healthcare. Its products include specialty adhesives, acrylic and fluoropolymer materials, technical resins, coating solutions and materials used in lightweight, durable and lower-impact applications.

Arkema was established in 2004 following the reorganization of Total's chemicals businesses and has expanded into a global specialty materials group with operations and customers across Europe, North America, Asia and other international markets.

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