Epsilon Energy Ltd. (NASDAQ:EPSN) Short Interest Up 45.6% in December

Epsilon Energy Ltd. (NASDAQ:EPSN) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 50,800 shares, a growth of 45.6% from the November 30th total of 34,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 28,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Epsilon Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Epsilon Energy stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $6.07. The company had a trading volume of 5,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,788. Epsilon Energy has a 52-week low of $4.70 and a 52-week high of $6.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.67 million, a P/E ratio of 24.28 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.86 and a 200 day moving average of $5.60.

Epsilon Energy (NASDAQ:EPSN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.29 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.89 million. Epsilon Energy had a return on equity of 5.31% and a net margin of 16.97%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.02 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Epsilon Energy will post 0.2 EPS for the current year.

Epsilon Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Epsilon Energy’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Epsilon Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EPSN. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of Epsilon Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $54,000. Perritt Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in Epsilon Energy during the second quarter valued at $109,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Epsilon Energy by 5.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 86,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $505,000 after acquiring an additional 4,288 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Epsilon Energy by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 146,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $856,000 after purchasing an additional 18,317 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Epsilon Energy by 11.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 243,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,425,000 after buying an additional 24,437 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on EPSN shares. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Epsilon Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Roth Mkm started coverage on Epsilon Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock.

Epsilon Energy Company Profile

Epsilon Energy Ltd., a North American onshore independent natural gas and oil company, engages in the acquisition, development, gathering, and production of natural oil and gas reserves in the United States. The company operates through Upstream and Gathering System segments. It has natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania; and oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas production in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, and Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma.