Quanex Building Products Co. (NYSE:NX) Short Interest Up 21.3% in March

Quanex Building Products Co. (NYSE:NX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,900,000 shares, an increase of 21.3% from the February 28th total of 2,390,000 shares. Currently, 6.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 540,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Quanex Building Products from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 22nd.

Quanex Building Products Price Performance

Shares of Quanex Building Products stock traded down $2.16 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $16.80. The stock had a trading volume of 250,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 462,967. Quanex Building Products has a twelve month low of $16.63 and a twelve month high of $38.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $793.06 million, a PE ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $20.53 and its 200 day moving average is $25.14.

Quanex Building Products Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. Quanex Building Products’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Quanex Building Products during the fourth quarter worth $848,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Quanex Building Products by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 69,573 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,686,000 after buying an additional 7,805 shares in the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP increased its stake in Quanex Building Products by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 1,050,230 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,458,000 after buying an additional 28,228 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Quanex Building Products in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,665,000. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Quanex Building Products by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 18,494 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,363 shares during the last quarter. 97.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Quanex Building Products

Quanex Building Products Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides components for the fenestration industry in the United States, rest of Europe, Canada, Asia, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North American Fenestration, European Fenestration, and North American Cabinet Components.