Alliance Global Partners Downgrades Genco Shipping & Trading (NYSE:GNK) to Neutral

Genco Shipping & Trading (NYSE:GNK) was downgraded by Alliance Global Partners from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on GNK. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Genco Shipping & Trading from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Genco Shipping & Trading in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Genco Shipping & Trading from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

Genco Shipping & Trading Stock Up 1.6%

GNK opened at $23.94 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -217.57, a P/E/G ratio of 5.39 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.27. Genco Shipping & Trading has a fifty-two week low of $11.20 and a fifty-two week high of $24.11.

Genco Shipping & Trading (NYSE:GNK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The shipping company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. Genco Shipping & Trading had a negative net margin of 1.28% and a negative return on equity of 0.12%. The company had revenue of $109.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.52 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Genco Shipping & Trading will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Peter George Allen sold 6,232 shares of Genco Shipping & Trading stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.27, for a total transaction of $145,018.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,002 shares in the company, valued at $1,210,086.54. The trade was a 10.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jesper Christensen sold 8,260 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.27, for a total transaction of $192,210.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 78,311 shares in the company, valued at $1,822,296.97. This represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,719 shares of company stock valued at $412,321. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Genco Shipping & Trading

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Genco Shipping & Trading by 82.2% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,942 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in Genco Shipping & Trading in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in Genco Shipping & Trading in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Genco Shipping & Trading in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Genco Shipping & Trading during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 58.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Genco Shipping & Trading

Here are the key news stories impacting Genco Shipping & Trading this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management boosted the quarterly dividend to $0.50 (previously $0.15) and signaled a larger Q1 payout after time‑charter equivalent (TCE) rates rose more than 50% year‑over‑year amid fleet expansion — this materially improves cash return expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: EPS $0.39 (vs. ~$0.35 est.) and revenue roughly $109.9M (vs. est. ~$78.5M), with year‑over‑year revenue growth — stronger earnings and cash flow help justify the higher dividend and support near‑term fundamentals. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded GNK from Hold to Strong Buy, which can attract momentum buyers following the earnings/dividend news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market technicals: GNK has hit a new 52‑week high post‑earnings — a momentum signal but not a change to long‑term fundamentals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the Q4 earnings call transcript and slides for details on forward TCE outlook, fleet additions and capex guidance to assess sustainability of higher payouts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Alliance Global Partners downgraded GNK from Buy to Neutral, citing reasons spelled out in their note — this can limit further upside from institutional/retail buyers. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: several senior executives (CAO, CFO and others) sold blocks of shares at ~ $23.27, trimming holdings — raises short‑term governance/insider‑sentiment questions even though insiders remain significant holders. Read More.

About Genco Shipping & Trading

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited is a leading global owner and operator of drybulk vessels, providing seaborne transportation services for major commodities such as iron ore, coal, grain and fertilizers. The company’s fleet comprises Capesize, Panamax and Supramax vessels, which are chartered to a broad base of international charterers under both spot and period contracts. Genco’s focus on modern, fuel-efficient tonnage supports reliable cargo delivery across a variety of trade routes and market conditions.

In addition to vessel ownership and operation, Genco offers ship management, maintenance and technical support services designed to maximize fleet performance and safety.