Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) saw a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 109,477 shares, an increase of 621.8% from the April 30th total of 15,167 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 132,475 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Japan Tob Stock Performance

Shares of Japan Tob stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $19.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 64,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 175,847. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.93. Japan Tob has a one year low of $14.02 and a one year high of $20.68. The stock has a market cap of $67.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14 and a beta of 0.28.

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.69 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Japan Tob will post 1.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Zacks Research upgraded Japan Tob from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $17.00.

About Japan Tob

Japan Tobacco Inc (OTC: JAPAY) is a Tokyo-based multinational company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. The company’s core activities include the development, production and distribution of cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery products for domestic and international markets. Japan Tobacco also pursues business activities beyond tobacco, including pharmaceutical and processed‑food operations through subsidiary units and strategic investments.

In its tobacco operations the company serves both the Japanese market and a broad international footprint through its global operating arm, Japan Tobacco International (JTI).