Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) Short Interest Update

Ashtead Group plc (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,900 shares, an increase of 1,125.0% from the February 28th total of 400 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 83,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ashtead Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Ashtead Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Ashtead Group from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Ashtead Group Price Performance

Ashtead Group stock traded down $4.81 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $227.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,729. Ashtead Group has a twelve month low of $222.43 and a twelve month high of $337.95. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $251.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Ashtead Group (OTCMKTS:ASHTY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.47 by ($0.38). Ashtead Group had a return on equity of 22.65% and a net margin of 14.78%. The company had revenue of $2.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.16 billion. Research analysts forecast that Ashtead Group will post 15.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashtead Group Company Profile

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.