American Woodmark Co. (NASDAQ:AMWD) Short Interest Up 20.1% in December

American Woodmark Co. (NASDAQ:AMWD) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 466,300 shares, an increase of 20.1% from the December 15th total of 388,100 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 154,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

American Woodmark Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of AMWD traded up $0.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $81.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 26,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,282. The company’s 50 day moving average is $86.58 and its 200 day moving average is $89.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 1.61. American Woodmark has a 12-month low of $73.24 and a 12-month high of $106.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.93 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

American Woodmark (NASDAQ:AMWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by ($0.29). American Woodmark had a net margin of 5.90% and a return on equity of 12.70%. The company had revenue of $452.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $458.29 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.36 earnings per share. American Woodmark’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Transactions at American Woodmark

In other news, Director James G. Davis sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.79, for a total transaction of $100,987.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,985,252.67. This represents a 4.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael Scott Culbreth sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.10, for a total transaction of $315,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 106,432 shares in the company, valued at $9,589,523.20. The trade was a 3.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,750 shares of company stock valued at $1,108,223. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Woodmark

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AMWD. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in American Woodmark by 0.8% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 15,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,440,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Guidance Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Woodmark by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 5,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of American Woodmark by 4.2% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 3,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its position in American Woodmark by 4.6% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 5,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in American Woodmark by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on AMWD. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on American Woodmark from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of American Woodmark from $119.00 to $114.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.00.

About American Woodmark

American Woodmark Corporation manufactures and distributes kitchen, bath, office, home organization, and hardware products for the remodelling and new home construction markets in the United States. The company offers made-to-order and cash and carry products. It also provides turnkey installation services to its direct builder customers through a network of eight service centers.