Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,741,100 shares, a growth of 467.7% from the February 13th total of 2,068,200 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,269,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Roche Stock Performance

OTCMKTS RHHBY traded down $0.70 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $42.86. 1,994,620 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,946,259. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.54. Roche has a 52 week low of $29.20 and a 52 week high of $43.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Institutional Trading of Roche

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bard Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Roche by 37.7% in the 4th quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 110,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,866,000 after buying an additional 30,350 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Roche by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 183,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,399,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in Roche by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 60,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Roche by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 33,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Roche by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on RHHBY. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Roche in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Roche from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Roche to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Roche has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Roche

Roche Holding AG engages in the pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The company offers pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas of anemia, blood and solid tumors, dermatology, hemophilia, inflammatory and autoimmune, neurological disorders, ophthalmology, respiratory disorders, and transplantation.