Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) saw a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,540,000 shares, a decrease of 21.8% from the February 13th total of 7,080,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,400,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Tyson Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TSN traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $60.63. 734,811 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,139,762. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $58.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.72. Tyson Foods has a twelve month low of $53.61 and a twelve month high of $66.88.

Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.35. Tyson Foods had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 6.87%. The company had revenue of $13.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. Tyson Foods’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Tyson Foods will post 3.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Tyson Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Tyson Foods’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TSN shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Tyson Foods from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Tyson Foods from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Tyson Foods in a report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Tyson Foods from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Tyson Foods from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.10.

Institutional Trading of Tyson Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Tyson Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Riverview Trust Co increased its holdings in Tyson Foods by 3,423.1% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in Tyson Foods by 2,478.3% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Tyson Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Tyson Foods by 58.6% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.00% of the company’s stock.

Tyson Foods Company Profile

Tyson Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a food company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Beef, Pork, Chicken, and Prepared Foods. The company processes live fed cattle and hogs; fabricates dressed beef and pork carcasses into primal and sub-primal meat cuts, as well as case ready beef and pork, and fully cooked meats; raises and processes chickens into fresh, frozen, and value-added chicken products, including breaded chicken strips, nuggets, patties, and other ready-to-fix or fully cooked chicken parts; and supplies poultry breeding stock.