Oxford Industries, Inc. (NYSE:OXM) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Oxford Industries, Inc. (NYSE:OXM) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,330,000 shares, a growth of 20.1% from the May 15th total of 1,940,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 247,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 9.4 days. Currently, 15.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

OXM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Oxford Industries from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Oxford Industries in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Oxford Industries from $106.00 to $104.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Oxford Industries presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.20.

Oxford Industries Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:OXM traded down $2.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $99.42. 640,257 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 316,250. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.26. The firm has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.25 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.22. Oxford Industries has a 52-week low of $82.33 and a 52-week high of $113.88.

Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 12th. The textile maker reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.70 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $398.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $404.81 million. Oxford Industries had a net margin of 2.62% and a return on equity of 23.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.78 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Oxford Industries will post 8.8 EPS for the current year.

Oxford Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. Oxford Industries’s payout ratio is 108.50%.

Insider Transactions at Oxford Industries

In other Oxford Industries news, CEO Douglas B. Wood sold 33,587 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.95, for a total transaction of $3,524,955.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 12,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,750.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Oxford Industries by 717.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 373,847 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $35,938,000 after purchasing an additional 328,140 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Oxford Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $13,512,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Oxford Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,682,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oxford Industries by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 371,168 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $41,719,000 after buying an additional 57,117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Oxford Industries by 34.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 169,619 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $16,962,000 after acquiring an additional 43,855 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.16% of the company’s stock.

Oxford Industries Company Profile

Oxford Industries, Inc, an apparel company, designs, sources, markets, and distributes products of lifestyle and other brands worldwide. The company offers men's and women's sportswear and related products under the Tommy Bahama brand; and women's and girl's dresses and sportswear, scarves, bags, jewelry, and belts, as well as children's apparel, swim, footwear, and licensed products under the Lilly Pulitzer brand.