SFL (NYSE:SFL) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of SFL (NYSE:SFL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

Separately, BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of SFL from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $12.33.

SFL Stock Performance

SFL stock opened at $13.44 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $13.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.29. SFL has a 12 month low of $9.03 and a 12 month high of $14.62.

SFL (NYSE:SFL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The shipping company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $229.06 million during the quarter. SFL had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 11.47%.

SFL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.04%. This is an increase from SFL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. SFL’s dividend payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SFL

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in SFL by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 18,904 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of SFL by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 20,699 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares during the period. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of SFL in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in shares of SFL by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 17,809 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 2,280 shares during the period. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new position in SFL in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. 28.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SFL

SFL Corporation Ltd., a maritime and offshore asset owning and chartering company, engages in the ownership, operation, and chartering out of vessels and offshore related assets on medium and long-term charters. The company operates in various sectors of the maritime, and shipping and offshore industries, including oil transportation, dry bulk shipments, chemical transportation, oil products transportation, container transportation, car transportation, and drilling rigs.