Short Interest in Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ:FARM) Rises By 126.1%

Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ:FARM) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 100,684 shares, an increase of 126.1% from the January 29th total of 44,530 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 116,548 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 116,548 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmer Brothers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Farmer Brothers in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. XTX Topco Ltd increased its stake in Farmer Brothers by 56.8% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 34,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 12,470 shares during the last quarter. Beartown Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Farmer Brothers in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Farmer Brothers by 152.2% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 41,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 24,820 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Farmer Brothers by 54.2% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 66,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 23,247 shares during the last quarter. 64.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FARM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Roth Mkm dropped their target price on Farmer Brothers from $3.50 to $3.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Zacks Research raised Farmer Brothers from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Farmer Brothers in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.75.

Farmer Brothers Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FARM traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 21,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 85,509. Farmer Brothers has a 12-month low of $1.34 and a 12-month high of $3.28. The company has a market cap of $32.60 million, a P/E ratio of -1.74 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.27. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.66.

Farmer Brothers (NASDAQ:FARM) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.14) by ($0.08). Farmer Brothers had a negative return on equity of 30.38% and a negative net margin of 5.51%.The company had revenue of $88.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.47 million. On average, analysts forecast that Farmer Brothers will post -0.37 EPS for the current year.

About Farmer Brothers

Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ: FARM) is a specialty coffee roaster and distributor that serves the foodservice, hospitality and office coffee markets across the United States. The company produces and delivers coffee, tea, single-serve products and beverage equipment, supporting its customers with supply chain solutions, equipment maintenance and barista training services. Its operations are organized to serve commercial accounts ranging from national restaurant chains and convenience stores to independent coffee shops and corporate offices.

Founded in 1912 in Texas, Farmer Brothers has grown from a regional roaster into a national supplier with a network of manufacturing and distribution facilities.