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

Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,629,734 shares, a growth of 22.4% from the February 12th total of 1,331,452 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,026,435 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,026,435 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diana Shipping

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Diana Shipping by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,361,713 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 246,300 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Diana Shipping by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 668,660 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after buying an additional 20,943 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Diana Shipping during the 4th quarter worth approximately $775,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Diana Shipping by 46.4% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 190,774 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 60,430 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Diana Shipping in the 4th quarter valued at $300,000. Institutional investors own 48.68% of the company’s stock.

Diana Shipping Stock Performance

NYSE DSX opened at $2.46 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $2.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.95. The stock has a market cap of $284.26 million, a PE ratio of 22.32 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.73. Diana Shipping has a fifty-two week low of $1.27 and a fifty-two week high of $2.71.

Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The shipping company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter. Diana Shipping had a return on equity of 3.60% and a net margin of 8.35%.The company had revenue of $52.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $52.00 million.

Diana Shipping Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. Diana Shipping’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on DSX shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diana Shipping in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Diana Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Diana Shipping has an average rating of “Sell”.

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.