Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE:LXFR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Luxfer Holdings PLC (NYSE:LXFR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 548,814 shares, an increase of 63.4% from the August 15th total of 335,894 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 345,213 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Currently, 2.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Luxfer Stock Up 0.1%

LXFR stock opened at $17.23 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.68. The company has a market capitalization of $460.94 million, a P/E ratio of 57.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Luxfer has a 12 month low of $11.26 and a 12 month high of $19.45.

Luxfer (NYSE:LXFR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The industrial products company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.01. Luxfer had a net margin of 2.20% and a return on equity of 12.22%. The firm had revenue of $95.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.30 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Luxfer will post 1.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Luxfer Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Luxfer’s payout ratio is 173.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LXFR shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Luxfer in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research cut Luxfer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Luxfer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 31st. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Luxfer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Trading of Luxfer

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LXFR. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Luxfer during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Luxfer by 131.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 74,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,341,000 after purchasing an additional 42,160 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Luxfer by 63.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,083 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Luxfer by 21.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 137,186 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,671,000 after purchasing an additional 24,003 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Luxfer in the 1st quarter valued at $956,000. 90.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Luxfer

Luxfer plc is a manufacturer of high-performance materials and engineered products. The company develops and produces gas cylinders, magnesium alloys and other specialty materials for customers in healthcare, industrial, transportation, aerospace, defense, fire protection and consumer markets.

Through its gas-cylinder operations, Luxfer supplies lightweight aluminum, composite and other high-pressure cylinders used for medical oxygen, breathing air, alternative fuels, scuba diving, fire suppression and industrial gases.