LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE:LPL) Short Interest Up 53.7% in August

Key Points

• Short Interest Growth: LG Display Co., Ltd. experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 53.7% to a total of 952,500 shares by August 31.
• Institutional Investments: Several institutional investors have recently initiated positions in LG Display, with new stakes ranging from $32,000 to $46,000.
• Quarterly Earnings Miss: The company reported $0.62 EPS for the latest quarter, falling short of analyst expectations of $0.69 EPS.

LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE:LPL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 952,500 shares, an increase of 53.7% from the August 15th total of 619,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 409,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 409,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

LG Display Price Performance

Shares of LPL traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $4.79. 488,703 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 594,475. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.14 and a 200-day moving average of $3.49. LG Display has a 52 week low of $2.43 and a 52 week high of $4.97. The stock has a market cap of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.40, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.62.

LG Display (NYSE:LPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 14th. The electronics maker reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $4.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. LG Display had a negative net margin of 2.25% and a negative return on equity of 7.60%. On average, analysts forecast that LG Display will post 0.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LPL shares. UBS Group downgraded shares of LG Display from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of LG Display from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce".

Institutional Trading of LG Display

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LPL. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of LG Display by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,510,470 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $5,166,000 after buying an additional 161,409 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of LG Display by 323.8% during the 2nd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 175,947 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $602,000 after buying an additional 134,432 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of LG Display by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 392,350 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,220,000 after buying an additional 123,994 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in LG Display by 498.6% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 128,662 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 107,167 shares during the period. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its position in LG Display by 58.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 259,673 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $904,000 after purchasing an additional 95,675 shares during the period.

About LG Display

LG Display Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology-based display panels. Its TFT-LCD and OLED technology-based display panels are primarily used in televisions, notebook computers, desktop monitors, tablet computers, mobile devices, and automotive displays.