Short Interest in Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) Decreases By 68.8%

Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,665,700 shares, a decline of 68.8% from the February 28th total of 11,741,100 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,260,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Institutional Trading of Roche

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Roche during the fourth quarter worth about $752,000. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in shares of Roche by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 23,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,000 after acquiring an additional 1,496 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Roche by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 11,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Roche in the 4th quarter valued at $555,000. Finally, Altrius Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Roche by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 183,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,399,000 after buying an additional 603 shares in the last quarter.

Roche Stock Performance

Roche stock opened at $42.63 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $40.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.64. Roche has a one year low of $29.20 and a one year high of $44.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on RHHBY. UBS Group upgraded Roche from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Roche in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Roche to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Roche has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Roche Company Profile

Roche Holding AG engages in the pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The company offers pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas of anemia, blood and solid tumors, dermatology, hemophilia, inflammatory and autoimmune, neurological disorders, ophthalmology, respiratory disorders, and transplantation.