Mativ Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MATV) Short Interest Up 49.0% in February

Mativ Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:MATV) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,950,000 shares, an increase of 49.0% from the February 13th total of 1,980,000 shares. Currently, 5.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 636,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days.

Mativ Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MATV traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $6.16. 1,281,977 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 440,902. The firm has a market cap of $335.94 million, a PE ratio of -6.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.72. Mativ has a fifty-two week low of $5.10 and a fifty-two week high of $19.96. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 2.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Mativ (NYSE:MATV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $458.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $472.70 million. Mativ had a negative net margin of 2.46% and a positive return on equity of 3.86%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Mativ will post 1.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Mativ Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Mativ’s payout ratio is -44.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mativ

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in Mativ during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Mativ in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Mativ by 93.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,309 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Mativ during the third quarter worth about $82,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Mativ during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Mativ in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “hold” rating and a $15.50 target price for the company.

Mativ Company Profile

Mativ Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells specialty materials in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, the Americas, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Advanced Technical Materials and Fiber-Based Solutions. The Advanced Technical Materials manufactures and sells various engineered polymer, resin and fiber-based substrates, nets, films, adhesive tapes, and other nonwovens for the filtration, protective solutions, release liners, and healthcare end-markets.