Torrid Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CURV) Short Interest Up 55.1% in February

Torrid Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CURV) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,070,000 shares, a growth of 55.1% from the January 31st total of 1,980,000 shares. Currently, 14.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 477,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.4 days.

Torrid Price Performance

Shares of Torrid stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $6.10. 304,346 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 319,521. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.05. Torrid has a 52 week low of $2.18 and a 52 week high of $9.14. The firm has a market cap of $639.02 million, a P/E ratio of 40.67, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.97.

Torrid (NYSE:CURV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 3rd. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.04). Torrid had a net margin of 1.35% and a negative return on equity of 7.68%. Equities research analysts expect that Torrid will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Torrid

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CURV. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Torrid during the fourth quarter worth approximately $14,240,000. Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in Torrid during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,930,000. Shay Capital LLC increased its holdings in Torrid by 140.2% during the 4th quarter. Shay Capital LLC now owns 478,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,505,000 after purchasing an additional 279,521 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in Torrid by 103.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 437,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,288,000 after purchasing an additional 222,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Torrid by 4,794.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,215,000 after purchasing an additional 414,942 shares in the last quarter. 81.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on CURV. Bank of America began coverage on Torrid in a report on Friday, December 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $5.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Torrid from $4.50 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Torrid from $3.00 to $4.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Torrid from $8.00 to $5.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Torrid has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $4.50.

About Torrid

Torrid Holdings Inc operates in women’s plus-size apparel and intimates market in North America. The company designs, develops, and merchandises its products under the Torrid, Torrid Curve, CURV, and Lovesick brand names. It is involved in the sale of tops, bottoms, dresses, denims, activewear, intimates, sleep wear, swim wear, and outerwear products; and non-apparel products comprising accessories, footwear, and beauty products.