Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) saw a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,276,730 shares, an increase of 31.8% from the January 15th total of 968,896 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 735,864 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 735,864 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Diana Shipping Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE:DSX opened at $2.40 on Monday. Diana Shipping has a one year low of $1.27 and a one year high of $2.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.24. The company has a market cap of $277.29 million, a PE ratio of 21.77 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.81.

Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The shipping company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $51.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.00 million. Diana Shipping had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 4.93%.

Diana Shipping Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th were paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Diana Shipping’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DSX shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Diana Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diana Shipping in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, Diana Shipping presently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Institutional Trading of Diana Shipping

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DSX. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Diana Shipping during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,088,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Diana Shipping during the fourth quarter worth $775,000. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its holdings in Diana Shipping by 17.2% in the second quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 2,841,710 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $4,149,000 after buying an additional 417,275 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Diana Shipping by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,361,713 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,920,000 after acquiring an additional 246,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Diana Shipping during the fourth quarter valued at $300,000. 48.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Diana Shipping

Diana Shipping Inc is a global shipping company incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and headquartered in Athens, Greece. The company specializes in the ownership and operation of dry bulk vessels that transport a variety of commodities, including coal, iron ore, grains, fertilizers, steel products and other bulk materials. Diana Shipping’s fleet comprises Panamax, Capesize, Newcastlemax and Supramax/Newcastlemax segments, enabling it to address the needs of customers on key global trade routes.

The company conducts its operations by chartering vessels on short‐term voyage charters and longer‐term period charters.