Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) Short Interest Update

Clearwater Paper Co. (NYSE:CLW) saw a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 389,800 shares, a decrease of 60.6% from the December 31st total of 988,200 shares. Approximately 2.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 464,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days.

Clearwater Paper Trading Down 0.6 %

Clearwater Paper stock traded down $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $32.17. The stock had a trading volume of 207,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 313,630. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.77. Clearwater Paper has a 52 week low of $23.97 and a 52 week high of $57.13. The stock has a market cap of $533.12 million, a PE ratio of 37.41 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Clearwater Paper announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Monday, November 4th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to buy up to 23.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Clearwater Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Clearwater Paper in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLW. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Clearwater Paper by 45.2% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,887,015 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $53,855,000 after purchasing an additional 587,043 shares in the last quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Clearwater Paper in the fourth quarter worth about $4,328,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in Clearwater Paper by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 141,130 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,201,000 after acquiring an additional 18,139 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Clearwater Paper by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 111,947 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,333,000 after acquiring an additional 5,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Clearwater Paper by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 111,002 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,380,000 after purchasing an additional 10,875 shares during the period. 89.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Clearwater Paper

Clearwater Paper Corporation manufactures and supplies bleached paperboards, and consumer and parent roll tissues in the United States and internationally. It operates through Pulp and Paperboard, and Consumer Products segments. The Pulp and Paperboard segment manufactures and markets bleached paperboard; Solid Bleached Sulfate paperboard that is used to produce folding cartons, liquid packaging, cups and plates, blister and carded packaging, and top sheet and commercial printing items; and hardwood and softwood pulp, as well as offers services that include custom sheeting, slitting, and cutting.