Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC) Stock Short Interest Rises 49.8%

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 227,472 shares, a growth of 49.8% from the August 31st total of 151,879 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 146,093 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Public Policy Trading Up 3.0%

NASDAQ:PPHC traded up $0.31 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $10.52. 177,687 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 140,976. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.91 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.64. Public Policy has a one year low of $7.01 and a one year high of $15.15. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Public Policy (NASDAQ:PPHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter. Public Policy had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 18.85%.The company had revenue of $52.14 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Public Policy will post 0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Public Policy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.1170 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. This represents a yield of 212.0%. Public Policy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 209.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PPHC shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Public Policy in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e)” rating on shares of Public Policy in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Public Policy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Public Policy stock. State Street Corp bought a new stake in Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 50,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $375,000. State Street Corp owned 0.17% of Public Policy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

About Public Policy

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc is a public affairs and government relations platform that provides strategic advice and advocacy services to corporations, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions. The company operates through a network of specialized public policy and communications firms.

Its services generally include federal, state, and local government relations; lobbying; public affairs strategy; strategic communications; coalition building; grassroots and digital advocacy; policy research; and issue management.