Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG) Short Interest Up 2,203.1% in July

Key Points

• Short interest for Vishay Precision Group increased significantly by 2,203.1% in July, reaching a total of 667,900 shares, compared to only 29,000 shares at the end of June.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds hold 87.61% of Vishay Precision Group's stock, with several funds like American Century and Arrowstreet Capital increasing their stakes substantially in the recent quarter.
• Despite this increased interest, Vishay Precision Group reported an earnings miss for the last quarter, with EPS of $0.04 falling short of analysts' expectations of $0.05.

Vishay Precision Group, Inc. (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 667,900 shares, agrowthof2,203.1% from the June 30th total of 29,000 shares. Approximately5.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 171,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 171,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Approximately5.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Precision Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 291,307 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $6,837,000 after buying an additional 32,310 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 172.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 186,752 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $4,383,000 after buying an additional 118,153 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 329,940 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $7,746,000 after buying an additional 10,454 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 205,450 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $4,822,000 after buying an additional 48,570 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 32.3% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,067 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 1,970 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.61% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, B. Riley restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vishay Precision Group in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Vishay Precision Group Price Performance

NYSE:VPG traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.00. 52,252 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,393. The company has a market capitalization of $344.76 million, a P/E ratio of 113.09 and a beta of 0.87. Vishay Precision Group has a 12 month low of $18.57 and a 12 month high of $32.68. The company has a quick ratio of 2.94, a current ratio of 4.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $27.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.66.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.01). Vishay Precision Group had a return on equity of 2.30% and a net margin of 1.03%. The firm had revenue of $71.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.04 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Vishay Precision Group will post 0.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vishay Precision Group Company Profile

Vishay Precision Group, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets specialized sensors, weighing solutions, and measurement systems in the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Sensors, Weighing Solutions, and Measurement Systems.

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