Short Interest in StealthGas, Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS) Rises By 36.3%

Key Points

• Short interest in StealthGas rose by 36.3% to 28,092 shares as of March 31, equal to about 0.1% of the stock and a short-interest ratio of 0.2 days.
• Institutional investors own 66.32% of the company, with several funds (notably Towerview, UBS, Two Sigma, Millennium and Janney) increasing stakes—Towerview now holds 3,067,500 shares (~$21.5M).
• StealthGas reported an EPS of $0.36 (beating estimates by $0.04), the stock traded at $9.29 with a market cap of $345.2M and a P/E of 5.66, and the analyst consensus is a Buy.

StealthGas, Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 28,092 shares, an increase of 36.3% from the March 15th total of 20,612 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 150,022 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Towerview LLC boosted its stake in StealthGas by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Towerview LLC now owns 3,067,500 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $21,534,000 after acquiring an additional 160,000 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in StealthGas by 21.4% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 260,133 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,704,000 after acquiring an additional 45,846 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in StealthGas by 31.3% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 237,238 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,554,000 after acquiring an additional 56,493 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in StealthGas by 24.5% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 208,190 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,364,000 after acquiring an additional 40,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of StealthGas by 51.3% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 153,211 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,076,000 after buying an additional 51,920 shares in the last quarter. 66.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

StealthGas Stock Down 0.3%

GASS stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $9.29. The stock had a trading volume of 93,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,175. StealthGas has a one year low of $4.94 and a one year high of $10.52. The company's 50 day moving average is $8.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.68. The company has a market capitalization of $345.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 0.20.

StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The shipping company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $39.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.80 million. StealthGas had a net margin of 35.03% and a return on equity of 9.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of StealthGas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

StealthGas Company Profile

StealthGas Inc is an international shipping company specializing in the seaborne transportation of liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), including propane, butane and ammonia. The company operates a fleet of modern pressurized LPG carriers with capacities ranging from approximately 2,500 to 9,100 cubic meters, providing safe and efficient carriage of petrochemical gases worldwide.

Founded in 2005 and incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, StealthGas is headquartered in Athens, Greece, with additional commercial and operational offices in major shipping centers across Europe and Asia.

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