Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS:DLAKY) Stock Short Interest Rises 71.3%

Key Points

• Short interest in Deutsche Lufthansa surged 71.3% to 113,405 shares as of September 30, though short positions represented 0.0% of shares outstanding and amounted to just 0.2 days of average trading volume.
• The stock traded at $8.11, near its 52-week low of $7.84 and below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company recently missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.13 EPS versus the $0.34 consensus estimate.
• Analyst sentiment is largely negative: Zacks Research and Citigroup downgraded the stock to “strong sell,” while the overall consensus rating is “Reduce,” with five analysts issuing Sell ratings.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (OTCMKTS:DLAKY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 113,405 shares, a growth of 71.3% from the September 15th total of 66,191 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 683,884 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Deutsche Lufthansa

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DLAKY. Fulton Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in Deutsche Lufthansa in the 2nd quarter worth $120,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Deutsche Lufthansa by 52.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,943 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 4,779 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deutsche Lufthansa during the first quarter valued at about $204,000.

Deutsche Lufthansa Stock Performance

DLAKY stock traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $8.11. 71,871 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 202,241. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $8.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.46. Deutsche Lufthansa has a 52 week low of $7.84 and a 52 week high of $11.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Deutsche Lufthansa (OTCMKTS:DLAKY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $12.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.76 billion. Deutsche Lufthansa had a return on equity of 5.74% and a net margin of 1.63%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Deutsche Lufthansa will post 0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DLAKY shares. Zacks Research downgraded Deutsche Lufthansa from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Citigroup lowered shares of Deutsche Lufthansa from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deutsche Lufthansa has a consensus rating of "Reduce".

About Deutsche Lufthansa

Deutsche Lufthansa AG is a German aviation and transportation company that operates through the Lufthansa Group. Its principal business is the operation of passenger airlines serving domestic, European and international markets, with major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and additional hubs across Europe.

The group's airline portfolio includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Discover Airlines. It also provides air cargo services through Lufthansa Cargo, aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services through Lufthansa Technik, and travel-related loyalty and service offerings through businesses including Miles & More.

Deutsche Lufthansa was established in 1953, with flight operations beginning in 1955, following the postwar re-establishment of Germany's national airline.

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