Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RFL) Short Interest Up 43.5% in February

Key Points

• Short interest in Rafael surged 43.5% in February to 55,181 shares, equal to roughly 0.2% of shares sold short and a days-to-cover ratio of 1.0.
• Analyst sentiment is negative with a MarketBeat consensus Sell rating and Weiss Ratings reissuing a "sell (e+)" recommendation.
• Rafael shares recently fell 10.6% to $1.31, leaving a market cap near $67.6 million and a negative P/E (-1.54), while institutional investors own about 11.3% of the stock (Vanguard is the largest holder).

Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RFL - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 55,181 shares, a growth of 43.5% from the February 12th total of 38,452 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 54,408 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Currently, 0.2% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 54,408 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Rafael in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Rafael currently has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rafael

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 133,024 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Rafael by 72.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 451,139 shares of the company's stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 190,179 shares during the last quarter. Cable Car Capital LP bought a new stake in Rafael during the second quarter valued at approximately $173,000. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its position in Rafael by 132.3% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 72,584 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 41,335 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Rafael during the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 11.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Rafael Trading Down 10.6%

NYSE:RFL traded down $0.16 on Friday, reaching $1.31. 166,045 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 97,912. The company has a market capitalization of $67.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.54 and a beta of 0.58. Rafael has a 12 month low of $1.12 and a 12 month high of $3.19. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $1.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.31.

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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