Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Utah Medical Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:UTMD) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 88,800 shares, an increase of 60.6% from the March 31st total of 55,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 29,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UTMD shares. StockNews.com downgraded Utah Medical Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. TheStreet downgraded Utah Medical Products from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utah Medical Products

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Utah Medical Products in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Utah Medical Products in the third quarter valued at approximately $319,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Utah Medical Products by 101.7% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,766 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares in the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Utah Medical Products by 43.4% during the 1st quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 4,555 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its position in shares of Utah Medical Products by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 4,885 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. 69.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Utah Medical Products Trading Down 0.6 %

Utah Medical Products stock opened at $65.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $236.65 million, a PE ratio of 14.65 and a beta of 0.12. Utah Medical Products has a 12 month low of $65.91 and a 12 month high of $100.59. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.24.

Utah Medical Products (NASDAQ:UTMD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $12.33 million during the quarter. Utah Medical Products had a net margin of 33.40% and a return on equity of 13.15%.

Utah Medical Products Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Utah Medical Products’s payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

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.