Short Interest in Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) Increases By 18.0%

Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,360,000 shares, an increase of 18.0% from the February 13th total of 2,000,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 723,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on PHG. BNP Paribas upgraded Koninklijke Philips from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group upgraded Koninklijke Philips from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Koninklijke Philips from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Koninklijke Philips has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Koninklijke Philips Price Performance

Shares of PHG traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $26.67. 408,041 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 870,844. The company has a market cap of $25.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.78. Koninklijke Philips has a 52-week low of $19.10 and a 52-week high of $32.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $26.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.79.

Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The technology company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $5.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.10 billion. Koninklijke Philips had a positive return on equity of 10.85% and a negative net margin of 3.88%. On average, analysts anticipate that Koninklijke Philips will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Koninklijke Philips Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.886 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a yield of 2.9%. Koninklijke Philips’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -89.29%.

Institutional Trading of Koninklijke Philips

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Koninklijke Philips by 0.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,138,708 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $200,859,000 after purchasing an additional 35,935 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 315.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 245,729 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,040,000 after buying an additional 186,520 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in Koninklijke Philips during the third quarter worth approximately $4,622,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Koninklijke Philips by 16.4% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 195,222 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,388,000 after buying an additional 27,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Koninklijke Philips in the fourth quarter valued at $460,000. 13.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Koninklijke Philips Company Profile

Koninklijke Philips N.V. operates as a health technology company in North America, the Greater China, and internationally. The company operates through Diagnosis & Treatment Businesses, Connected Care Businesses, and Personal Health Businesses segments. It also provides diagnostic imaging solutions, includes magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray systems, and computed tomography (CT) systems and software comprising detector-based spectral CT solutions, as well as molecular and hybrid imaging solutions for nuclear medicine; echography solutions focused on diagnosis, treatment planning and guidance for cardiology, general imaging, obstetrics/gynecology, and point-of-care applications; integrated interventional systems, and interventional diagnostic and therapeutic devices to treat coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease.