Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:KEYS) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,400,000 shares, a drop of 14.6% from the December 31st total of 2,810,000 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Lisa M. Poole sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.79, for a total transaction of $60,126.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $828,027.80. This trade represents a 6.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark Adam Wallace sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.79, for a total value of $970,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 85,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,886,273.91. This trade represents a 6.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,063 shares of company stock valued at $5,573,941 over the last quarter. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Keysight Technologies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Keysight Technologies by 2.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,857,378 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $1,248,773,000 after acquiring an additional 194,294 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its stake in Keysight Technologies by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 4,421,264 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $702,671,000 after purchasing an additional 292,372 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Keysight Technologies by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,400,035 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $697,411,000 after purchasing an additional 323,235 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Keysight Technologies by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,081,169 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $171,830,000 after purchasing an additional 10,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Keysight Technologies by 27.6% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 1,001,358 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $158,692,000 after buying an additional 216,564 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.58% of the company’s stock.

Keysight Technologies Price Performance

KEYS traded up $9.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $179.68. 831,269 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 806,972. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $166.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.07 billion, a PE ratio of 51.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.02. Keysight Technologies has a 1-year low of $119.72 and a 1-year high of $180.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.98 and a quick ratio of 2.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on KEYS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Keysight Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Keysight Technologies from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America raised their price target on Keysight Technologies from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Keysight Technologies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Keysight Technologies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $170.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.80.

Keysight Technologies Company Profile

Keysight Technologies, Inc provides electronic design and test solutions to commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor, electronic, and education industries in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group.