Short Interest in Wartsila (OTCMKTS:WRTBY) Rises By 139.2%

Key Points

• Short interest in Wärtsilä surged 139.2% to 24,074 shares as of August 31, though short interest remained approximately 0.0% of shares outstanding and represented just 0.3 days to cover.
• Analyst sentiment was largely cautious: four analysts rated the stock a Hold and three rated it Sell, resulting in MarketBeat’s average rating of “Reduce.”
• WRTBY shares rose 0.4% to $6.67, well below their 52-week high of $9.49. In its latest quarter, Wärtsilä reported $0.06 in EPS and $1.81 billion in revenue, exceeding the $1.73 billion consensus estimate.

Wartsila (OTCMKTS:WRTBY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 24,074 shares, an increase of 139.2% from the August 15th total of 10,063 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 80,575 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.3 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Wartsila from a "strong sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Oddo Bhf began coverage on shares of Wartsila in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Wartsila in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Wartsila from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce".

Wartsila Trading Up 0.4%

WRTBY traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $6.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 178,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,743. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $6.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Wartsila has a 52-week low of $5.77 and a 52-week high of $9.49. The firm has a market cap of $19.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.65 and a beta of 1.25.

Wartsila (OTCMKTS:WRTBY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.73 billion. Wartsila had a net margin of 9.77% and a return on equity of 25.56%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Wartsila will post 0.25 earnings per share for the current year.

About Wartsila

Wärtsilä Oyj is a Finland-based technology company serving the marine and energy industries. Its businesses focus on improving the efficiency, flexibility and environmental performance of power generation and marine transportation.

In the energy sector, Wärtsilä provides flexible engine-based power plants, energy storage systems, lifecycle services, energy management software and related integration solutions. Its marine business offers engines, propulsion systems, hybrid technologies, exhaust-treatment equipment, electrical and automation systems, digital solutions, and maintenance services for commercial and other vessels.

Founded in Finland in 1834, Wärtsilä serves customers internationally through operations, projects and service networks across major maritime and energy markets.

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