Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WGO) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 40.2% in April to 3,127,165 shares (about 11.6% of shares short) and a short-interest ratio of 4.1 days, indicating increased bearish positioning.
• Winnebago beat the quarter with $0.27 EPS versus $0.25 expected and $657.4M in revenue (up 6% year-over-year), showing modest profit and sales growth.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 (annualized $1.40, yield 4.3%, payout ratio ~95%), while analysts have cut price targets and the consensus rating sits at a Hold with a $42.30 average target.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WGO - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,127,165 shares, an increase of 40.2% from the March 31st total of 2,229,987 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 757,838 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 11.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Winnebago Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WGO. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Winnebago Industries by 90.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 766 shares of the RV manufacturer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Winnebago Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Winnebago Industries by 825.4% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,203 shares of the RV manufacturer's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in Winnebago Industries by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,255 shares of the RV manufacturer's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in Winnebago Industries by 3,661.8% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,558 shares of the RV manufacturer's stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 2,490 shares in the last quarter.

Winnebago Industries Stock Performance

WGO stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $32.50. The company had a trading volume of 499,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 678,277. Winnebago Industries has a one year low of $28.00 and a one year high of $50.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $918.75 million, a P/E ratio of 22.11 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $35.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.55.

Winnebago Industries (NYSE:WGO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The RV manufacturer reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $657.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.00 million. Winnebago Industries had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 4.99%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Winnebago Industries will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Winnebago Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Winnebago Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WGO shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Winnebago Industries from $47.00 to $43.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen cut Winnebago Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Winnebago Industries from $54.00 to $46.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Winnebago Industries from $55.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Winnebago Industries from $48.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Winnebago Industries currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $42.30.

Winnebago Industries Company Profile

Winnebago Industries, Inc is a leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles (RVs) and specialty vehicles, headquartered in Forest City, Iowa. Since its founding in 1958, the company has gained recognition for its motorhomes, travel trailers and fifth-wheel products under the Winnebago and Grand Design brands. Its portfolio also includes towable RVs, camper vans and commercial vehicles tailored for healthcare, government and mobile retail applications.

In addition to vehicle production, Winnebago Industries maintains an extensive dealer and service network across the United States and Canada, supplemented by parts distribution centers and customer support resources.

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