Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) Short Interest Up 25.5% in April

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, an increase of 25.5% from the March 31st total of 1,100,000 shares. Currently, 8.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 207,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on ZUMZ shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Zumiez from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. B. Riley dropped their price target on shares of Zumiez from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Adam Christopher Ellis purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.31 per share, with a total value of $143,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 57,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $828,792.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 20.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Zumiez

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ZUMZ. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Zumiez by 206.1% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 136,310 shares of the apparel and footwear maker’s stock worth $2,426,000 after purchasing an additional 91,786 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in Zumiez by 183.8% during the 4th quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 116,914 shares of the apparel and footwear maker’s stock valued at $2,378,000 after acquiring an additional 75,717 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC grew its stake in Zumiez by 309.8% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 76,710 shares of the apparel and footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after acquiring an additional 57,990 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Zumiez by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 421,043 shares of the apparel and footwear maker’s stock valued at $8,564,000 after acquiring an additional 57,368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in Zumiez by 95.5% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 108,700 shares of the apparel and footwear maker’s stock valued at $1,870,000 after acquiring an additional 53,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.45% of the company’s stock.

Zumiez Stock Performance

ZUMZ stock opened at $16.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $343.92 million, a PE ratio of -5.22 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $15.57 and its 200 day moving average is $17.21. Zumiez has a one year low of $12.90 and a one year high of $21.49.

Zumiez (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The apparel and footwear maker reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $281.82 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.98 million. Zumiez had a negative net margin of 7.15% and a negative return on equity of 5.70%. Research analysts predict that Zumiez will post -0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Zumiez Company Profile

Zumiez Inc operates as a specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories, and hardgoods for young men and women. The company provides hardgoods, including skateboards, snowboards, bindings, components, and other equipment. It operates stores in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia under the names of Zumiez, Blue Tomato, and Fast Times.