BellRing Brands, Inc. (NYSE:BRBR) Short Interest Up 24.2% in February

BellRing Brands, Inc. (NYSE:BRBR) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,770,000 shares, a growth of 24.2% from the February 13th total of 2,230,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,200,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 2.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

BellRing Brands Stock Down 1.2 %

BellRing Brands stock traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,260,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,127,669. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.85. BellRing Brands has a twelve month low of $48.06 and a twelve month high of $80.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $73.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.22.

BellRing Brands (NYSE:BRBR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.11. BellRing Brands had a net margin of 13.32% and a negative return on equity of 130.14%. Equities analysts expect that BellRing Brands will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

BellRing Brands declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 6th that permits the company to buyback $300.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of BellRing Brands from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup lifted their price target on BellRing Brands from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of BellRing Brands in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on BellRing Brands from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on BellRing Brands from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $78.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert V. Vitale sold 5,100 shares of BellRing Brands stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.30, for a total value of $384,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,166,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,851,832.30. This trade represents a 0.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 218,636 shares of company stock worth $16,677,550 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BellRing Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in BellRing Brands by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 571 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BellRing Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of BellRing Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of BellRing Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its stake in shares of BellRing Brands by 747.7% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the period. 94.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About BellRing Brands

BellRing Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various nutrition products in the United States. The company offers ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, other RTD beverages, powders, nutrition bars, and other products primarily under the Premier Protein and Dymatize brands. It distributes its products through club, food, drug, mass, eCommerce, specialty, and convenience channels.