Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA (OTCMKTS:JRONY) Short Interest Up 76.5% in July

Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA (OTCMKTS:JRONY) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,000 shares, anincreaseof76.5% from the June 30th total of 1,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 19,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 19,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on JRONY shares. Citigroup upgraded Jeronimo Martins SGPS from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Jeronimo Martins SGPS from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Jeronimo Martins SGPS Price Performance

Shares of JRONY opened at $49.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.33. Jeronimo Martins SGPS has a 1-year low of $34.74 and a 1-year high of $54.50. The stock has a market cap of $15.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.66.

Jeronimo Martins SGPS (OTCMKTS:JRONY) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.08. Jeronimo Martins SGPS had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 1.78%. The business had revenue of $10.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Jeronimo Martins SGPS will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Jeronimo Martins SGPS Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were paid a $0.8932 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. This represents a yield of 183.0%. Jeronimo Martins SGPS’s payout ratio is currently 37.09%.

Jeronimo Martins SGPS Company Profile

Jerónimo Martins, SGPS, SA operates in the food distribution and specialized retail sectors in Portugal, Poland, and Colombia. The company operates through Portugal Retail; Portugal Cash & Carry; Poland Retail; Colombia Retail; and Others, Eliminations and Adjustments segments. It operates food stores under the Biedronka name; and a chain of health and beauty stores under the Hebe banner in Poland, as well as food stores under the Ara name in Colombia.