Short Interest in Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ:FARM) Declines By 15.0%

Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ:FARM) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 313,608 shares, a decrease of 15.0% from the March 31st total of 369,061 shares. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 107,918 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmer Brothers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Farmer Brothers currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.75.

Farmer Brothers Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of FARM traded up $0.01 on Friday, hitting $1.29. 165,814 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 146,965. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.03 million, a P/E ratio of -1.50 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.48. Farmer Brothers has a 1 year low of $1.21 and a 1 year high of $2.48.

Farmer Brothers (NASDAQ:FARM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($0.22) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $88.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.47 million. Farmer Brothers had a negative net margin of 5.51% and a negative return on equity of 30.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmer Brothers

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FARM. XTX Topco Ltd raised its stake in Farmer Brothers by 56.8% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 34,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 12,470 shares during the period. Beartown Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Farmer Brothers in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Farmer Brothers by 152.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 41,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 24,820 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Farmer Brothers by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 66,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 23,247 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Farmer Brothers by 253.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 68,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 49,374 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.48% of the company’s stock.

About Farmer Brothers

Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ: FARM) is a specialty coffee roaster and distributor that serves the foodservice, hospitality and office coffee markets across the United States. The company produces and delivers coffee, tea, single-serve products and beverage equipment, supporting its customers with supply chain solutions, equipment maintenance and barista training services. Its operations are organized to serve commercial accounts ranging from national restaurant chains and convenience stores to independent coffee shops and corporate offices.

Founded in 1912 in Texas, Farmer Brothers has grown from a regional roaster into a national supplier with a network of manufacturing and distribution facilities.