Short Interest in Knightscope, Inc. (NASDAQ:KSCP) Increases By 28.3%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 28.3% in March to 1,924,271 shares (12.3% of the float), producing a days-to-cover ratio of about 1.9 days.
• Knightscope reported a quarterly EPS of ($0.92), missing estimates while revenue was $2.54M and the company shows very negative margins and ROE; analysts are mixed but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $15.33.

Knightscope, Inc. (NASDAQ:KSCP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,924,271 shares, a growth of 28.3% from the March 15th total of 1,499,934 shares. Currently, 12.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,023,218 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Knightscope Stock Performance

NASDAQ KSCP opened at $3.45 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 3.99 and a quick ratio of 3.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.85 and a beta of 1.57. The company's fifty day moving average is $3.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.48. Knightscope has a 52-week low of $2.92 and a 52-week high of $10.14.

Knightscope (NASDAQ:KSCP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported ($0.92) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $2.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 million. Knightscope had a negative return on equity of 153.81% and a negative net margin of 298.32%. Equities research analysts forecast that Knightscope will post -12.15 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KSCP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Knightscope in a report on Monday, December 29th. Ascendiant Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Knightscope from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Knightscope from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Knightscope in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Knightscope currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $15.33.

Institutional Trading of Knightscope

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KSCP. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Knightscope during the 4th quarter valued at about $278,000. Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Knightscope during the 3rd quarter valued at about $245,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Knightscope by 253.0% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 56,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 40,141 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Knightscope during the 3rd quarter valued at about $151,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Knightscope by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 276,857 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,597,000 after acquiring an additional 24,283 shares in the last quarter. 14.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Knightscope Company Profile

Knightscope, Inc NASDAQ: KSCP is a technology company specializing in the design and deployment of autonomous security robots. The firm offers a robotics-as-a-service platform that integrates self-driving devices with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to enhance perimeter security, detect anomalies and deliver real-time incident reporting.

Since its founding in 2013 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, Knightscope has developed a series of fully autonomous models—designated K1 through K7—suited for indoor and outdoor environments.

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