Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALU) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Value Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:VALU) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,300 shares, a decline of 38.1% from the December 31st total of 11,800 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 9,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Value Line Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ VALU traded down $1.92 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $39.90. 15,891 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,467. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.69. The stock has a market cap of $375.78 million, a P/E ratio of 16.98 and a beta of 0.80. Value Line has a 1 year low of $36.00 and a 1 year high of $57.68.

Value Line (NASDAQ:VALU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter. Value Line had a return on equity of 24.00% and a net margin of 62.02%.

Value Line Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Monday, January 27th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 27th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Value Line’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Value Line from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Value Line

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Value Line by 340.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 889 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Value Line by 144.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Value Line by 9.7% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,145 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.26% of the company’s stock.

About Value Line

Value Line, Inc produces and sells investment periodicals and related publications. Its investment periodicals and related publications cover a range of investments, including stocks, mutual funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and options. The company's research services include The Value Line Investment Survey, The Value Line Investment Survey – Small and Mid-Cap, The Value Line 600, and The Value Line Fund Advisor Plus that provide statistical and text coverage of various investment securities, with an emphasis placed on its proprietary research, analysis, and statistical ranks.