HEICO Co. (NYSE:HEI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

HEICO Co. (NYSE:HEI) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,380,000 shares, an increase of 9.2% from the January 15th total of 2,180,000 shares. Approximately 5.6% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 538,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.4 days.

HEICO Stock Down 1.9 %

HEICO stock opened at $220.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $30.60 billion, a PE ratio of 60.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 3.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $237.12 and a 200 day moving average of $249.84. HEICO has a one year low of $182.47 and a one year high of $283.60.

HEICO (NYSE:HEI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 17th. The aerospace company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.02. HEICO had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 14.63%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that HEICO will post 4.2 EPS for the current year.

HEICO Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 0.1%. HEICO’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.01%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HEICO

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Morse Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of HEICO by 0.6% in the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 6,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in HEICO by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in HEICO by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,687 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $639,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in HEICO by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of HEICO by 8.9% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 731 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 27.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HEI shares. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of HEICO in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on HEICO from $271.00 to $266.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $270.20.

HEICO Company Profile

HEICO Corporation, through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells aerospace, defense, and electronic related products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Flight Support Group segment provides jet engine and aircraft component replacement parts; thermal insulation blankets and parts; renewable/reusable insulation systems; and specialty components.