Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,600 shares, a growth of 50.9% from the January 31st total of 16,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 13,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nathan’s Famous

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Nathan’s Famous by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 139,528 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,968,000 after purchasing an additional 18,851 shares during the last quarter. Crawford Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crawford Fund Management LLC now owns 97,660 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $7,901,000 after acquiring an additional 10,350 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 63,252 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,118,000 after acquiring an additional 2,011 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 27,011 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,123,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the period. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Nathan’s Famous by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,953 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 3,221 shares during the last quarter. 66.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Nathan’s Famous Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of Nathan’s Famous stock traded down $2.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $98.73. The company had a trading volume of 10,860 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,961. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.59. Nathan’s Famous has a 1-year low of $64.02 and a 1-year high of $104.96. The company has a market capitalization of $403.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02 and a beta of 0.25.

Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter. Nathan’s Famous had a negative return on equity of 96.05% and a net margin of 16.19%.

Nathan’s Famous Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Nathan’s Famous’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Nathan’s Famous from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

About Nathan’s Famous

Nathan’s Famous, Inc engages in the operation of franchised fast-food units. It is involved in the licensing, wholesaling, and retailing of products marketed under the Nathan’s Famous brand. The firm operates through the following business segments: Branded Product Program, Product Licensing, Restaurant Operations, and Corporate.