Short Interest in Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) Rises By 16.6%

Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 64,500 shares, a growth of 16.6% from the November 15th total of 55,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 22,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Utah Medical Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Institutional Trading of Utah Medical Products

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTMD. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Utah Medical Products in the 3rd quarter valued at about $207,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Utah Medical Products by 214.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 3,118 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Utah Medical Products by 9.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 97,080 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,497,000 after buying an additional 8,516 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Utah Medical Products by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 80,856 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,434,000 after buying an additional 694 shares during the period. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Utah Medical Products by 128.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 89,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,956,000 after acquiring an additional 50,030 shares in the last quarter. 69.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Utah Medical Products Price Performance

UTMD stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $62.95. The company had a trading volume of 11,527 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,704. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.24 and a 200 day moving average of $66.78. The company has a market capitalization of $213.40 million, a PE ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 0.08. Utah Medical Products has a 12 month low of $62.62 and a 12 month high of $87.00.

Utah Medical Products Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.305 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. This is a positive change from Utah Medical Products’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Utah Medical Products’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.10%.

Utah Medical Products Company Profile

Utah Medical Products, Inc develops, manufactures, and distributes medical devices for the healthcare industry worldwide. It offers fetal monitoring accessories, vacuum-assisted delivery systems, and other labor and delivery tools; DISPOSA-HOOD infant respiratory hoods; and DELTRAN PLUS blood pressure monitoring systems.