Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC) Stock Short Interest Rises 49.8%

Key Points

• Short interest surged 49.8% to 227,472 shares as of September 15, representing about 0.9% of shares outstanding and 1.6 days to cover.
• PPHC shares rose 3.0% to $10.52, while analysts maintain a mixed outlook: the consensus rating is Hold with a $17.00 price target.
• The company declared a $0.117 per-share dividend payable October 23, with the article reporting a 212% yield and a 209.09% payout ratio.

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 227,472 shares, a growth of 49.8% from the August 31st total of 151,879 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 146,093 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Public Policy Trading Up 3.0%

NASDAQ:PPHC traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $10.52. 177,687 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 140,976. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.91 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.64. Public Policy has a one year low of $7.01 and a one year high of $15.15. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Public Policy (NASDAQ:PPHC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter. Public Policy had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 18.85%.The company had revenue of $52.14 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Public Policy will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Public Policy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.1170 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. This represents a yield of 212.0%. Public Policy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 209.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PPHC shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Public Policy in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e)" rating on shares of Public Policy in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Public Policy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Public Policy stock. State Street Corp bought a new stake in Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 50,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $375,000. State Street Corp owned 0.17% of Public Policy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

About Public Policy

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc is a public affairs and government relations platform that provides strategic advice and advocacy services to corporations, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions. The company operates through a network of specialized public policy and communications firms.

Its services generally include federal, state, and local government relations; lobbying; public affairs strategy; strategic communications; coalition building; grassroots and digital advocacy; policy research; and issue management.

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.