Short Interest in Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RFL) Rises By 89.0%

Key Points

• Short interest in Rafael Holdings surged 89% to 252,495 shares as of July 15, representing about 0.7% of shares outstanding and 0.8 days of average trading volume.
• Rafael shares opened at $1.98, down 6%, with a market capitalization of approximately $102.7 million. The stock has traded between $1.12 and $3.96 over the past year.
• Analyst sentiment remains bearish, with a consensus “Sell” rating. Hedge funds and institutional investors own 11.3% of the company, including recent or increased positions from Renaissance Technologies, Citadel Advisors and Geode Capital.

Rafael Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RFL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 252,495 shares, an increase of 89.0% from the June 30th total of 133,570 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 317,195 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.7% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Rafael to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Rafael from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Rafael Stock Down 6.0%

RFL stock opened at $1.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.70 million, a PE ratio of -2.90 and a beta of 0.29. Rafael has a twelve month low of $1.12 and a twelve month high of $3.96. The stock's 50 day moving average is $2.21 and its 200-day moving average is $1.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rafael

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Rafael in the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Rafael by 59.1% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 89,138 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 33,111 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Rafael by 132.3% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 72,584 shares of the company's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 41,335 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Rafael by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 445,866 shares of the company's stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 90,417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cable Car Capital LP bought a new stake in Rafael in the 2nd quarter worth about $173,000. 11.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rafael Company Profile

Rafael Holdings, Inc primarily engages in holding interests in clinical and early-stage pharmaceutical companies, and commercial real estate assets in the United States and Israel. It operates in two segments, Healthcare and Real Estate. The company engages in the development and commercialization of therapies that exploit the metabolic differences between normal cells and cancer cells. Its lead drug candidate is CPI-613 (devimistat), currently under Phase III clinical study for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer and acute myeloid leukemia.

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