Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. (NASDAQ:RMCF) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. (NASDAQ:RMCF) saw a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 46,733 shares, a growth of 204.4% from the June 15th total of 15,350 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 274,702 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

In related news, major shareholder Allen C. Harper sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.45, for a total value of $122,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 860,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,000. This represents a 5.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Heritage Railways In American sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.45, for a total value of $122,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 860,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,107,000. This represents a 5.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 171,800 shares of company stock valued at $420,910 over the last quarter. 25.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RMCF. American Capital Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory during the fourth quarter valued at about $134,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 94,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 10,572 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Davis & CO. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in the 1st quarter valued at about $215,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory during the 4th quarter valued at about $235,000. 50.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Trading Down 6.2%

Shares of RMCF traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $1.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 42,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 67,457. The stock has a market cap of $10.01 million, a PE ratio of -1.99 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has a 52 week low of $0.84 and a 52 week high of $2.99. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.09.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (NASDAQ:RMCF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 29th. The company reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory had a negative net margin of 16.58% and a negative return on equity of 75.71%. The business had revenue of $6.76 million during the quarter.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Company Profile

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc is a specialty chocolate confectionery franchisor and manufacturer headquartered in Durango, Colorado. Established in 1981, the company develops, produces and markets a range of premium chocolate products, including truffles, caramels, toffees, fudge, nuts, dipped fruits and caramel apples. It operates company-owned retail stores as well as a franchised network, supplying handcrafted confections and related gift items through more than 300 retail locations across North America and select international markets.

From its origins as a single store in downtown Durango, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory introduced its first franchised outlets in the mid-1980s and completed a public offering in 1985.