Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED) Short Interest Up 65.4% in July

Phoenix Education Partners, Inc. (NYSE:PXED) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 532,073 shares, an increase of 65.4% from the June 30th total of 321,673 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 139,433 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Phoenix Education Partners Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PXED traded down $0.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $28.72. 153,237 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 105,149. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 1.91. Phoenix Education Partners has a 1-year low of $23.52 and a 1-year high of $47.08. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.06.

Phoenix Education Partners (NYSE:PXED) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 14th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $271.80 million during the quarter. Phoenix Education Partners had a return on equity of 60.06% and a net margin of 8.18%. Sell-side analysts expect that Phoenix Education Partners will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Phoenix Education Partners Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Phoenix Education Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Phoenix Education Partners

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Phoenix Education Partners during the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the fourth quarter valued at about $92,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Phoenix Education Partners in the first quarter valued at about $151,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Phoenix Education Partners from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. B. Riley Financial lowered their price target on Phoenix Education Partners from $54.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Phoenix Education Partners in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Phoenix Education Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Phoenix Education Partners currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.60.

Phoenix Education Partners Company Profile

Our Mission To provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the performance of their organizations and provide leadership and service to their communities. We are a mission-driven organization operating at the forefront of the rapidly evolving post-secondary education market. As one of the largest online education providers and a pioneer in our field, we benefit from the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, education, employment and economic trends.