Short Interest in Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE:BNED) Expands By 19.2%

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE:BNED) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 621,800 shares, an increase of 19.2% from the July 31st total of 521,500 shares. Approximately 12.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 520,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BNED has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Barnes & Noble Education in a research note on Friday, May 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Barnes & Noble Education in a research note on Wednesday, June 19th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Barnes & Noble Education Stock Performance

Barnes & Noble Education stock opened at $13.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $9.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.71. Barnes & Noble Education has a one year low of $6.05 and a one year high of $226.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $340.70 million, a PE ratio of -0.17 and a beta of 2.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 1st. The specialty retailer reported ($7.11) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $235.92 million for the quarter. Barnes & Noble Education had a negative return on equity of 37.91% and a negative net margin of 4.03%.

Insider Activity

In other Barnes & Noble Education news, Director Eric Singer acquired 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.15 per share, with a total value of $146,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 112,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,394.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director William C. Martin bought 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $7.19 per share, with a total value of $273,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 125,441 shares in the company, valued at $901,920.79. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eric Singer bought 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.15 per share, for a total transaction of $146,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 112,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $916,394.15. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 202,596,772 shares of company stock valued at $10,962,759. 5.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Barnes & Noble Education

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Greenhaven Road Investment Management L.P. increased its position in Barnes & Noble Education by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Greenhaven Road Investment Management L.P. now owns 5,256,342 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,832,000 after buying an additional 90,003 shares during the period. DCF Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Barnes & Noble Education in the second quarter valued at about $496,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Barnes & Noble Education in the first quarter worth about $56,000. 38.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Barnes & Noble Education

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc operates bookstores for college and university campuses, and K-12 institutions in the United States. It operates through Retail and Wholesale segments. The company sells and rents new and used print textbooks, digital textbooks, and publisher hosted digital courseware through physical and virtual bookstores, as well as directly to students through Textbooks.com.