Short Interest in HomeStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:HMST) Increases By 21.4%

HomeStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:HMST - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 424,100 shares, an increase of 21.4% from the March 31st total of 349,300 shares. Currently, 2.3% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 186,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HMST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HomeStreet from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on HomeStreet from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised HomeStreet from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.25.

HomeStreet Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of HMST stock traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.75. The company had a trading volume of 83,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,846. HomeStreet has a fifty-two week low of $8.09 and a fifty-two week high of $16.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company's fifty day moving average is $10.29 and its 200 day moving average is $10.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.32 million, a PE ratio of -1.53 and a beta of 1.34.

HomeStreet (NASDAQ:HMST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The financial services provider reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by ($0.08). HomeStreet had a negative return on equity of 4.23% and a negative net margin of 40.30%. The firm had revenue of $85.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $46.61 million. Research analysts expect that HomeStreet will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HomeStreet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust acquired a new stake in shares of HomeStreet during the first quarter worth about $300,000. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. acquired a new stake in HomeStreet during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,522,000. Acuitas Investments LLC lifted its holdings in HomeStreet by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC now owns 383,299 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,500,000 after buying an additional 46,991 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in HomeStreet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $135,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of HomeStreet by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 105,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,233,000 after acquiring an additional 35,000 shares in the last quarter. 74.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HomeStreet Company Profile

HomeStreet, Inc operates as the bank holding company for HomeStreet Bank that provides commercial, mortgage, and consumer/retail banking services in the Western United States. The company offers personal and business checking, savings, interest-bearing negotiable order of withdrawal, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; credit cards; insurance; and treasury management services.

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