Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC) Stock Short Interest Report for September

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PPHC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 545,427 shares, an increase of 139.8% from the September 15th total of 227,472 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 437,444 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Public Policy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PPHC. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Public Policy in the third quarter valued at $83,000. State Street Corp purchased a new stake in Public Policy during the 2nd quarter worth about $375,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Public Policy during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,869,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Public Policy from a “sell (e)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised Public Policy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Public Policy in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.00.

Public Policy Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Public Policy stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $10.46. 94,573 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 139,099. Public Policy has a 1 year low of $7.01 and a 1 year high of $15.15. The firm has a market cap of $317.98 million and a PE ratio of 95.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $11.03 and its 200 day moving average is $11.01.

Public Policy (NASDAQ:PPHC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter. Public Policy had a negative return on equity of 0.26% and a negative net margin of 18.85%. The company had revenue of $52.14 million for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Public Policy will post 0.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Public Policy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be issued a $0.1170 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 212.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th. Public Policy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 209.09%.

About Public Policy

Public Policy Holding Company, Inc (NASDAQ: PPHC) is a public affairs and government relations company that provides strategic advisory, lobbying, communications and public policy services to organizations operating in the United States. The company works with businesses, trade associations, nonprofit organizations and other institutions seeking to understand and engage with government and regulatory processes.

PPHC operates through a portfolio of specialized public policy and communications firms.