Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) Short Interest Up 33.5% in March

Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 132,502 shares, an increase of 33.5% from the February 26th total of 99,240 shares. Currently, 4.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 34,115 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nathan’s Famous

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 204.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Nathan’s Famous during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 142.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 692 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 351.6% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 1,007 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 75.7% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. 66.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nathan’s Famous Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ NATH opened at $100.85 on Tuesday. Nathan’s Famous has a 12 month low of $88.00 and a 12 month high of $118.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.62 and a 200-day moving average of $100.36. The company has a market capitalization of $412.48 million, a P/E ratio of 19.39 and a beta of 0.33.

Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter. Nathan’s Famous had a net margin of 13.59% and a negative return on equity of 182.42%. The company had revenue of $34.31 million for the quarter.

Nathan’s Famous Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Nathan’s Famous’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Nathan’s Famous in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nathan’s Famous has an average rating of “Buy”.

About Nathan’s Famous

Nathan’s Famous Inc is a quick-service restaurant company known for its signature all-beef hot dogs and classic American fast-food offerings. The company operates and franchises a network of dining outlets under the Nathan’s Famous brand, serving items such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries and specialty sides. In addition to its restaurant business, Nathan’s Famous markets frozen and refrigerated products to retail and foodservice customers across North America.

The company traces its origins to 1916, when founder Nathan Handwerker opened a modest walk-up stand on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.