ACCO Brands Co. (NYSE:ACCO) Short Interest Up 7.6% in September

ACCO Brands Co. (NYSE:ACCO) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,260,000 shares, an increase of 7.6% from the August 31st total of 2,100,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 560,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.0 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACCO has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of ACCO Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 10th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of ACCO Brands in a report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Insider Transactions at ACCO Brands

In related news, SVP Pamela R. Schneider sold 19,166 shares of ACCO Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.47, for a total transaction of $104,838.02. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 243,899 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,334,127.53. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ACCO Brands

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACCO. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in ACCO Brands during the first quarter worth about $65,000. Somerset Trust Co purchased a new position in ACCO Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in ACCO Brands during the first quarter worth $71,000. Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new stake in ACCO Brands during the first quarter worth $74,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in ACCO Brands in the first quarter valued at $88,000. 84.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ACCO Brands Stock Down 2.0 %

ACCO Brands stock traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $5.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 240,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 625,046. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. ACCO Brands has a fifty-two week low of $4.36 and a fifty-two week high of $6.62. The company has a market cap of $512.42 million, a P/E ratio of -20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.62. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.06.

ACCO Brands (NYSE:ACCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $438.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $452.73 million. ACCO Brands had a negative net margin of 10.15% and a positive return on equity of 13.32%. ACCO Brands’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that ACCO Brands will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ACCO Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. ACCO Brands’s payout ratio is -111.11%.

About ACCO Brands

ACCO Brands Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets consumer, school, technology, and office products. It operates through three segments: ACCO Brands North America, ACCO Brands EMEA, and ACCO Brands International. The company provides computer and gaming accessories, planners, dry erase boards, school notebooks, and janitorial supplies; storage and organization products, such as lever-arch binders, sheet protectors, and indexes; sheet protectors and indexes; laminating, binding, and shredding machines; writing instruments and art products; stapling and punching products; and do-it-yourself tools.