KNOT Offshore Partners LP (NYSE:KNOP) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

KNOT Offshore Partners LP (NYSE:KNOP) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 254,300 shares, a growth of 6.4% from the January 15th total of 238,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 86,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

KNOT Offshore Partners Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of KNOP stock traded down $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $5.47. 46,917 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 67,620. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.72 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.44. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.23. KNOT Offshore Partners has a one year low of $4.94 and a one year high of $9.11.

KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE:KNOP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The shipping company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.07). KNOT Offshore Partners had a negative net margin of 4.82% and a negative return on equity of 0.29%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that KNOT Offshore Partners will post 0.12 EPS for the current year.

KNOT Offshore Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 27th were paid a dividend of $0.026 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 27th. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. KNOT Offshore Partners’s dividend payout ratio is currently -23.26%.

Institutional Trading of KNOT Offshore Partners

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of KNOT Offshore Partners by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 138,890 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 11,200 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of KNOT Offshore Partners by 7.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 442,332 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 31,792 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of KNOT Offshore Partners by 123.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 141,503 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 78,194 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of KNOT Offshore Partners in the fourth quarter worth approximately $184,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in KNOT Offshore Partners by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 189,461 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,033,000 after buying an additional 2,418 shares during the period. 26.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of KNOT Offshore Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th.

About KNOT Offshore Partners

KNOT Offshore Partners LP acquires, owns, and operates shuttle tankers under long-term charters in the North Sea and Brazil. The company provides loading, transportation, and discharge of crude oil under time charters and bareboat charters. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Aberdeen, the United Kingdom.