Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,090,000 shares, a growth of 25.3% from the September 30th total of 869,700 shares. Currently, 6.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 299,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CLW shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clearwater Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Clearwater Paper from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $37.00 in a research report on Friday, October 18th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in Clearwater Paper by 2.4% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 8,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Clearwater Paper by 30.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Clearwater Paper by 1.2% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 23,515 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,140,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Clearwater Paper during the 2nd quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Clearwater Paper by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 36,736 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,781,000 after purchasing an additional 2,360 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clearwater Paper Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of Clearwater Paper stock traded down $0.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.92. The stock had a trading volume of 316,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 212,143. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.85. The company has a market capitalization of $431.05 million, a PE ratio of 9.63 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Clearwater Paper has a 1 year low of $25.50 and a 1 year high of $57.13.

Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.42) EPS for the quarter. Clearwater Paper had a net margin of 2.16% and a return on equity of 11.56%. The company had revenue of $586.40 million for the quarter.

About Clearwater Paper

Clearwater Paper Corporation manufactures and supplies bleached paperboards, and consumer and parent roll tissues in the United States and internationally. It operates through Pulp and Paperboard, and Consumer Products segments. The Pulp and Paperboard segment manufactures and markets bleached paperboard; Solid Bleached Sulfate paperboard that is used to produce folding cartons, liquid packaging, cups and plates, blister and carded packaging, and top sheet and commercial printing items; and hardwood and softwood pulp, as well as offers services that include custom sheeting, slitting, and cutting.