Short Interest in USA Compression Partners, LP (NYSE:USAC) Increases By 1,368.8%

Key Points

• Short interest in USA Compression Partners increased dramatically by 1,368.8% in July, reaching 3,230,000 shares, compared to just 219,900 in June, resulting in a days-to-cover ratio of 13.6 days.
• Insider activity included a significant purchase by Director Bradford D. Whitehurst, who acquired 10,000 shares at $23.50 each, representing a 73.44% increase in his ownership stake.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share with a yield of 9.1%, while its dividend payout ratio is notably high at 308.82%.

USA Compression Partners, LP (NYSE:USAC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,230,000 shares, agrowthof1,368.8% from the June 30th total of 219,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 236,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 13.6 days. Currently,4.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently,4.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 236,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 13.6 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other USA Compression Partners news, Director Bradford D. Whitehurst acquired 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $23.50 per share, with a total value of $235,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 23,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $554,976. This represents a 73.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On USA Compression Partners

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its position in USA Compression Partners by 18.5% in the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 15,990,511 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $431,424,000 after acquiring an additional 2,490,895 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of USA Compression Partners by 82.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,863,377 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $77,254,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296,339 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of USA Compression Partners by 32.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 4,651,264 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $125,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141,556 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of USA Compression Partners in the fourth quarter worth about $13,905,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in USA Compression Partners by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,274,451 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $289,186,000 after buying an additional 107,058 shares during the period. 47.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $25.00 price target (up previously from $24.00) on shares of USA Compression Partners in a research report on Monday, June 23rd.

USA Compression Partners Stock Down 2.9%

USAC stock opened at $23.17 on Friday. USA Compression Partners has a twelve month low of $21.06 and a twelve month high of $30.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.07 and a beta of 0.36. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $24.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.48.

USA Compression Partners (NYSE:USAC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.04). USA Compression Partners had a negative return on equity of 81.01% and a net margin of 9.99%. The firm had revenue of $245.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $244.79 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that USA Compression Partners will post 1.05 EPS for the current year.

USA Compression Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 28th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 28th. USA Compression Partners's dividend payout ratio is presently 308.82%.

About USA Compression Partners

USA Compression Partners, LP provides compression services under term contracts with customers in the natural gas and crude oil industries in the United States. The company engineers, designs, operates, services, and repairs its compression units; and maintains related support inventory and equipment.

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