Nephros Inc. (NASDAQ:NEPH) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Nephros Inc. (NASDAQ:NEPH) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 8,451 shares, a growth of 133.1% from the December 15th total of 3,625 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,853 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,853 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NEPH has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nephros in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nephros to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nephros presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Institutional Trading of Nephros

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Nephros during the third quarter valued at about $64,000. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Nephros by 39.2% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 4,655 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Nephros by 3.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 93,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,898 shares during the period. Finally, Topline Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Nephros by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Topline Capital Management LLC now owns 477,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,953,000 after buying an additional 55,360 shares during the period. 41.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nephros Stock Up 1.4%

NEPH traded up $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.48. 16,282 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 53,640. The firm has a market cap of $47.63 million, a P/E ratio of 34.58 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $5.00 and its 200 day moving average is $4.54. Nephros has a one year low of $1.39 and a one year high of $6.42.

Nephros (NASDAQ:NEPH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.05. The business had revenue of $4.76 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 million. Nephros had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 15.81%.

About Nephros

Nephros, Inc is a development-stage company specializing in advanced water filtration and purification technologies for medical, laboratory, industrial and defense applications. The company’s core offering centers on proprietary hollow fiber ultrafilters designed to remove bacteria, viruses, endotoxins and particulates from water streams. These ultrafilters are used in hemodialysis systems to protect patient treatment, in pharmaceutical and laboratory environments to ensure water quality and in critical field-deployable units for military and emergency response.

The company’s product portfolio includes standalone filtration cartridges for point-of-use and point-of-entry installations in dialysis clinics and hospitals, as well as bench-top and portable water purification systems.