StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS) Short Interest Down 66.1% in March

StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ:GASS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 23,200 shares, a decline of 66.1% from the March 15th total of 68,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 108,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

StealthGas Price Performance

NASDAQ:GASS traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.14. 32,366 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 135,967. StealthGas has a one year low of $4.82 and a one year high of $8.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $5.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.70. The company has a market capitalization of $188.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.54.

StealthGas (NASDAQ:GASS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The shipping company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. StealthGas had a return on equity of 11.36% and a net margin of 40.87%. The firm had revenue of $40.25 million for the quarter.

Institutional Trading of StealthGas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of StealthGas by 44.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,596 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 14,093 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in StealthGas in the third quarter worth approximately $194,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in StealthGas by 16.6% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 79,987 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 11,383 shares during the last quarter. Towerview LLC raised its position in StealthGas by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Towerview LLC now owns 2,762,500 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $15,608,000 after acquiring an additional 305,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its stake in StealthGas by 34.0% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 24,808 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 6,299 shares during the last quarter. 66.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of StealthGas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th.

About StealthGas

StealthGas Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides seaborne transportation services to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) producers and users worldwide. The company's carriers carry various petroleum gas products in liquefied form, including propane, butane, butadiene, isopropane, propylene, and vinyl chloride monomer, as well as ammonia; refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and jet fuel; and edible oils and chemicals.