Short Interest in Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO) Drops By 16.6%

Perrigo Company plc (NYSE:PRGO) saw a significant drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 13,922,505 shares, a drop of 16.6% from the March 31st total of 16,686,010 shares. Currently, 10.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,474,611 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Perrigo

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PRGO. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Perrigo by 116.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,014 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Perrigo by 439.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 965 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 786 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Perrigo by 161.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Perrigo in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Perrigo by 230.0% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,527 shares during the period. 95.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Perrigo Stock Performance

NYSE PRGO opened at $11.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of -1.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.63. Perrigo has a 1-year low of $9.23 and a 1-year high of $28.43.

Perrigo (NYSE:PRGO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.03). Perrigo had a positive return on equity of 9.41% and a negative net margin of 33.51%.The business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Perrigo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.550 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Perrigo will post 2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Perrigo Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Perrigo’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -11.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PRGO shares. Argus raised shares of Perrigo to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Perrigo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Perrigo from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Perrigo in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of Perrigo from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $19.33.

About Perrigo

Perrigo Company plc is a global healthcare supplier specializing in over-the-counter (OTC) and self-care products, as well as generic prescription pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company develops, manufactures and distributes a broad array of consumer health products, including analgesics, vitamins and supplements, digestive health remedies, topical treatments, and infant formulas. Perrigo’s focus on private-label solutions has made it a leading partner for retailers and pharmacy chains seeking high-quality, value-oriented alternatives to branded medications and health supplements.

Organized across three principal business segments—Consumer Healthcare, Prescription Pharmaceuticals and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients—Perrigo’s operations span research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance and global distribution.