Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) Short Interest Up 29.1% in March

Key Points

• Short interest up 29.1% in March — short interest rose to 6,393,180 shares as of March 31 (about 4.1% of shares), with a days-to-cover ratio of 4.1 days.
• The company beat quarterly EPS ($1.41 vs. $1.27) but posted slightly weaker revenue; Stanley Black & Decker set FY2026 guidance of $4.90–$5.70 EPS and the analyst consensus is a Hold with an average target of $85.56.
• Stanley Black & Decker declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83 (annualized yield ~4.9%), however its payout ratio is about 125%, suggesting potential sustainability concerns.

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,393,180 shares, a growth of 29.1% from the March 15th total of 4,951,435 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,559,719 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days. Approximately 4.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Stanley Black & Decker in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on Stanley Black & Decker from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Argus raised Stanley Black & Decker to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Stanley Black & Decker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Stanley Black & Decker in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $85.56.

Stanley Black & Decker Trading Down 6.9%

Stanley Black & Decker stock opened at $67.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.20. Stanley Black & Decker has a 1 year low of $55.38 and a 1 year high of $93.37. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $77.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.99.

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.78 billion. Stanley Black & Decker had a net margin of 2.66% and a return on equity of 7.90%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.49 earnings per share. Stanley Black & Decker has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.700 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Stanley Black & Decker will post 5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Stanley Black & Decker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $3.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. Stanley Black & Decker's payout ratio is 125.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Stanley Black & Decker

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SWK. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Stanley Black & Decker by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,648 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,203,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Stanley Black & Decker by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,645 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Stanley Black & Decker by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 6,981 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Stanley Black & Decker during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $249,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Stanley Black & Decker by 53.6% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 989 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Stanley Black & Decker Company Profile

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc NYSE: SWK is a leading global manufacturer of industrial tools, engineered fastening systems, and security products. The company's portfolio includes power tools, hand tools, accessories, and storage solutions marketed under well-known brands such as DEWALT, Stanley, Craftsman and Black & Decker. In addition to its core tools and hardware offerings, the company provides customized assembly and installation systems for the automotive, electronics and aerospace industries.

Operations are organized across three principal business segments.

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