Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP) Short Interest Down 15.9% in November

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ:ARLP) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 2,590,000 shares, a decline of 15.9% from the November 15th total of 3,080,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 290,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.9 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Alliance Resource Partners Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ARLP traded up $0.45 on Friday, reaching $26.66. The company had a trading volume of 387,654 shares, compared to its average volume of 381,230. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.57 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.95. Alliance Resource Partners has a twelve month low of $18.32 and a twelve month high of $29.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Alliance Resource Partners (NASDAQ:ARLP) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The energy company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $613.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $646.17 million. Alliance Resource Partners had a return on equity of 23.74% and a net margin of 18.52%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Alliance Resource Partners will post 3.19 EPS for the current year.

Alliance Resource Partners Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. Alliance Resource Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Alliance Resource Partners

In related news, SVP Timothy J. Whelan sold 10,000 shares of Alliance Resource Partners stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total transaction of $280,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 157,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,422,488. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Alliance Resource Partners by 135.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,462 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $72,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Alliance Resource Partners in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $171,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Alliance Resource Partners in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. 18.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ARLP shares. Benchmark lifted their price target on Alliance Resource Partners from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Singular Research cut shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Alliance Resource Partners from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

About Alliance Resource Partners

Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a diversified natural resource company, produces and markets coal primarily to utilities and industrial users in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Illinois Basin Coal Operations, Appalachia Coal Operations, Oil & Gas Royalties, and Coal Royalties.