Short Interest in Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) Expands By 24.2%

Key Points

• Short interest in Nokia rose 24.2% to 68,243,622 shares as of April 15, equal to about 1.2% of shares short and a short-interest ratio of 0.7 days.
• Nokia increased its quarterly dividend to $0.0468 (annualized $0.19) for a ~1.4% yield, with an ex-dividend date of April 28 and a dividend payout ratio near 81%.
• Analyst sentiment is improving—multiple upgrades left Nokia with a consensus "Moderate Buy" (average target $9.71)—and the company sold its FWA CPE unit to Inseego while taking an equity stake to refocus on core network infrastructure.

Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 68,243,622 shares, a growth of 24.2% from the March 31st total of 54,959,641 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 92,258,863 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.7 days. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Nokia Price Performance

Nokia stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.29. 148,116,300 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 100,344,152. The company has a market cap of $76.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.07, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Nokia has a 12-month low of $4.00 and a 12-month high of $13.89.

Nokia (NYSE:NOK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The technology company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter. Nokia had a net margin of 4.02% and a return on equity of 9.22%. The business had revenue of $5.21 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts forecast that Nokia will post 0.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Nokia Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 28th will be given a dividend of $0.0468 per share. This represents a $0.19 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from Nokia's previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 28th. Nokia's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Nokia from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Northland Securities set a $13.00 price target on shares of Nokia in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nokia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Argus raised shares of Nokia from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Nokia in a research note on Wednesday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $9.71.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NOK. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Nokia by 248.7% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,815 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,721 shares during the last quarter. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Nokia during the third quarter valued at $29,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in Nokia by 33,457.1% during the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 4,698 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 4,684 shares during the last quarter. Dorato Capital Management bought a new position in Nokia during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Nokia during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 5.28% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nokia

Here are the key news stories impacting Nokia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer publicly called Nokia “a winner” after the company’s upbeat Q1 results and guidance raise, amplifying retail and institutional interest and supporting the rally. Jim Cramer on Nokia
• Positive Sentiment: Nokia agreed to sell its FWA CPE business to Inseego and will take a meaningful equity stake, creating a strategic partner for joint go‑to‑market activity (including 6G/edge work) that lets Nokia focus on core network infrastructure while keeping upside to FWA growth. Nokia exits FWA CPE business
• Neutral Sentiment: The buyer (Inseego) says the deal will materially scale its revenue — nearly doubling its top line per some analyst commentary — which supports the strategic rationale for Nokia’s stake, but most immediate cash proceeds to Nokia are modest. Inseego revenue impact
• Neutral Sentiment: The FWA CPE unit was sold for roughly $20m — a small one‑time cash inflow relative to Nokia’s market cap; the strategic value (stake + partnership) is the bigger takeaway for long‑term investors. Sale price details
• Neutral Sentiment: Nokia highlighted product innovation (an end‑to‑end quantum‑safe demo kit), underlining its push into secure, next‑gen networking tech — positive for positioning but unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Quantum-safe demo kit
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/manager share disposals were reported (Prosi sold a block of shares), which investors may view as a modest negative signal even though the transactions appear limited in size. Managers' transactions (Prosi)

Nokia Company Profile

Nokia Corporation, headquartered in Espoo, Finland, is a global telecommunications and technology company with roots dating back to 1865. Over its long history the company moved from forestry and cable operations into electronics and telecommunications, becoming widely known in the 1990s and 2000s for its mobile phones. In recent years Nokia refocused its business toward network infrastructure, software and technology licensing, and research and development, following the divestiture of its handset manufacturing business and the acquisition of Alcatel‑Lucent in 2016, which brought Bell Labs into its portfolio.

Today Nokia's core activities center on designing, building and supporting communications networks and related software.

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