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

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) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 667,900 shares, anincreaseof2,203.1% from the June 30th total of 29,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 171,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Currently,5.7% of the company's stock are short sold. Currently,5.7% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 171,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 917,967 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $22,114,000 after purchasing an additional 15,190 shares during the period. Needham Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 685,200 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $16,082,000 after purchasing an additional 7,700 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vishay Precision Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 527,103 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $12,698,000 after purchasing an additional 5,070 shares in the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vishay Precision Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $11,552,000. Finally, AIGH Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Vishay Precision Group by 60.7% in the second quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC now owns 423,484 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock valued at $11,900,000 after purchasing an additional 159,919 shares in the last quarter. 87.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vishay Precision Group Price Performance

Shares of VPG traded up $1.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.30. The company had a trading volume of 144,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 146,112. The company's 50-day moving average is $27.27 and its 200-day moving average is $24.73. Vishay Precision Group has a twelve month low of $18.57 and a twelve month high of $31.20. The company has a market capitalization of $361.92 million, a P/E ratio of 118.67 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 4.51 and a quick ratio of 2.94.

Vishay Precision Group (NYSE:VPG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.13. Vishay Precision Group had a return on equity of 2.30% and a net margin of 1.03%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vishay Precision Group will post 0.9 EPS for the current 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.