ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX) Short Interest Up 500.1% in February

ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 781,300 shares, an increase of 500.1% from the February 13th total of 130,200 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 189,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days.

ORIX Stock Performance

NYSE IX traded up $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $20.83. 130,795 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 119,091. ORIX has a fifty-two week low of $18.11 and a fifty-two week high of $25.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a current ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market cap of $25.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $20.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.95.

ORIX (NYSE:IX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.01. ORIX had a return on equity of 9.73% and a net margin of 13.66%. Equities research analysts predict that ORIX will post 11.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of ORIX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Corp Orix sold 18,500,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.08, for a total value of $278,906,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,880,385 shares in the company, valued at $224,336,684.26. This trade represents a 55.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ORIX

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in ORIX during the fourth quarter valued at $865,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of ORIX by 198.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,353 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 4,893 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in ORIX by 47.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,370 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 6,513 shares during the period. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in ORIX by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 36,590 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,887,000 after purchasing an additional 2,775 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in ORIX by 12.1% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 3,298 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

ORIX Company Profile

ORIX Corporation provides diversified financial services in Japan, the United States, Asia, Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East. The company's Corporate Financial Services and Maintenance Leasing segment is involved in the finance and fee; leasing and rental of automobiles, electronic measuring instruments, and ICT-related equipment businesses; and provision of life insurance and environment and energy-related products and services.