Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RFL) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in Rafael Holdings surged 90.8% in June, rising to 133,570 shares, though that still represents only about 0.4% of the float.
• The stock was modestly higher in trading, up to $2.35, and remains well below its 12-month high of $3.96; it has a market cap of about $122.2 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains weak, with Weiss Ratings only slightly improving its view from "sell (e+)" to "sell (d-)," and MarketBeat showing an average rating of Sell.

Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RFL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 133,570 shares, an increase of 90.8% from the June 15th total of 70,015 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 303,935 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Rafael Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:RFL traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $2.35. The stock had a trading volume of 83,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,730. The company has a market cap of $122.20 million, a P/E ratio of -3.46 and a beta of 0.29. Rafael has a 12 month low of $1.12 and a 12 month high of $3.96. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $2.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.54.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rafael

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RFL. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Rafael by 59.1% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 89,138 shares of the company's stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 33,111 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Rafael by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 445,866 shares of the company's stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 90,417 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Rafael by 132.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 72,584 shares of the company's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 41,335 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rafael by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,394,726 shares of the company's stock worth $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 133,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cable Car Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Rafael during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $173,000. 11.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Rafael from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, Rafael presently has an average rating of "Sell".

About Rafael

Rafael Holdings, Inc primarily engages in holding interests in clinical and early-stage pharmaceutical companies, and commercial real estate assets in the United States and Israel. It operates in two segments, Healthcare and Real Estate. The company engages in the development and commercialization of therapies that exploit the metabolic differences between normal cells and cancer cells. Its lead drug candidate is CPI-613 (devimistat), currently under Phase III clinical study for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer and acute myeloid leukemia.

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