Sampo PLC (OTCMKTS:SAXPY) Short Interest Up 308.9% in July

Key Points

• Sampo PLC saw short interest surge 308.9% in July, reaching 57,075 shares as of July 15, though the stock still had a very low short interest level overall.
• Several analysts turned more positive on the stock, with upgrades from firms including Barclays, Kepler Capital Markets, and Goldman Sachs; MarketBeat now shows a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• The company reported Q1 earnings of $0.30 per share, beating expectations, while revenue came in slightly below estimates; Sampo shares recently traded at $21.86, near their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Sampo PLC (OTCMKTS:SAXPY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 57,075 shares, a growth of 308.9% from the June 30th total of 13,957 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 86,717 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SAXPY. Zacks Research raised shares of Sampo from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Barclays upgraded Sampo from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Sampo to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Sampo in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Sampo from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sampo presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Sampo Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:SAXPY opened at $21.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $116.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.18 and a beta of 0.40. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $21.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.55. Sampo has a one year low of $19.93 and a one year high of $24.43.

Sampo (OTCMKTS:SAXPY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.48 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sampo will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Sampo Company Profile

Sampo plc is a Finland-based insurance and financial services group that primarily underwrites property and casualty (P&C) insurance while also offering life insurance and related financial products. The company operates through subsidiaries that provide a mix of retail and corporate insurance solutions, claims handling and risk management services. Its business model emphasizes underwriting discipline and diversified exposure across personal, commercial and specialty insurance lines.

Sampo's operations include well-known subsidiaries that deliver core products and services: a Nordic P&C insurer that writes motor, property, liability and specialty lines, and a life insurance and wealth management arm that offers savings, pension solutions and asset management services.

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.