Short Interest in ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX) Grows By 500.1%

ORIX Co. (NYSE:IX) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 781,300 shares, a growth of 500.1% from the February 13th total of 130,200 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 189,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.1 days.

ORIX Price Performance

NYSE IX traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $20.83. 130,795 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 119,091. ORIX has a 12-month low of $18.11 and a 12-month high of $25.17. The company has a market capitalization of $25.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

ORIX (NYSE:IX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.01. ORIX had a net margin of 13.66% and a return on equity of 9.73%. As a group, analysts predict that ORIX will post 11.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Corp Orix sold 18,500,000 shares of ORIX stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.08, for a total transaction of $278,906,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 14,880,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,336,684.26. This trade represents a 55.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ORIX

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IX. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in ORIX in the third quarter worth approximately $80,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of ORIX in the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in ORIX by 282.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its position in ORIX by 1,310.0% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares during the period. Finally, Gitterman Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in ORIX by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Gitterman Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. 1.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of ORIX from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st.

ORIX Company Profile

ORIX Corporation provides diversified financial services in Japan, the United States, Asia, Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East. The company's Corporate Financial Services and Maintenance Leasing segment is involved in the finance and fee; leasing and rental of automobiles, electronic measuring instruments, and ICT-related equipment businesses; and provision of life insurance and environment and energy-related products and services.