Short Interest in Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO) Drops By 16.6%

Key Points

• Short interest in Perrigo fell by 16.6% in April to 13,922,505 shares, equal to 10.2% of shares outstanding and a short-interest ratio of 4.0 days.
• Perrigo declared a quarterly dividend of $0.29 (ex-dividend/record date May 29; payable June 16), implying a 9.8% annualized yield.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.77 (missing estimates) on $1.11B revenue and set FY2026 guidance of $2.25–$2.55 EPS versus analysts’ average forecast of $2.12, while the consensus rating remains a Hold with a $19.33 price target.

Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 13,922,505 shares, a decline of 16.6% from the March 31st total of 16,686,010 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,474,611 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days. Currently, 10.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Perrigo Stock Performance

Shares of PRGO opened at $11.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.90. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.15, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.47. Perrigo has a 52 week low of $9.23 and a 52 week high of $28.43.

Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. Perrigo had a positive return on equity of 9.41% and a negative net margin of 33.51%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. Perrigo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.550 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Perrigo will post 2.12 EPS for the current year.

Perrigo Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.8%. Perrigo's dividend payout ratio is -11.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PRGO. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Perrigo from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Perrigo from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Perrigo in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Argus upgraded Perrigo to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Perrigo from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Perrigo presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $19.33.

Institutional Trading of Perrigo

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Amundi grew its position in shares of Perrigo by 11.7% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 5,292 shares of the company's stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Perrigo by 126.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,159,768 shares of the company's stock worth $32,520,000 after purchasing an additional 647,982 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in shares of Perrigo during the first quarter worth about $250,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Perrigo by 6.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 513,112 shares of the company's stock worth $14,388,000 after purchasing an additional 32,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Perrigo by 439.1% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 965 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 786 shares in the last quarter. 95.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Perrigo

Perrigo Company plc is a global healthcare supplier specializing in over-the-counter (OTC) and self-care products, as well as generic prescription pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company develops, manufactures and distributes a broad array of consumer health products, including analgesics, vitamins and supplements, digestive health remedies, topical treatments, and infant formulas. Perrigo's focus on private-label solutions has made it a leading partner for retailers and pharmacy chains seeking high-quality, value-oriented alternatives to branded medications and health supplements.

Organized across three principal business segments—Consumer Healthcare, Prescription Pharmaceuticals and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients—Perrigo's operations span research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance and global distribution.

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