Short Interest in Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE:DSX) Expands By 9.7%

Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE:DSX) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,360,000 shares, a growth of 9.7% from the March 15th total of 1,240,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 696,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Diana Shipping Stock Performance

NYSE DSX traded up $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $2.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 446,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 426,183. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $327.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.20. Diana Shipping has a 12 month low of $2.81 and a 12 month high of $4.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $2.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.88.

Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The shipping company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.02. Diana Shipping had a net margin of 19.02% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $56.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.02 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Diana Shipping will post 0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Diana Shipping Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.34%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. Diana Shipping’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Diana Shipping in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Institutional Trading of Diana Shipping

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DSX. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Diana Shipping by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 16,467 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 3,121 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its position in Diana Shipping by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 27,547 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,341 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its position in Diana Shipping by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 14,597 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Diana Shipping by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 87,940 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 4,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wolverine Trading LLC increased its position in Diana Shipping by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Trading LLC now owns 21,692 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 4,361 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 48.68% of the company’s stock.

Diana Shipping Company Profile

Diana Shipping Inc provides shipping transportation services. The company transports a range of dry bulk cargoes, including commodities, such as iron ore, coal, grain, and other materials in shipping routes worldwide. As of March 1, 2024, it operated a fleet of 38 dry bulk vessels, including 4 Newcastlemax, 8 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 6 Kamsarmax, 9 Ultramax, and 6 Panamax.