ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 642,700 shares, an increase of 18.0% from the March 15th total of 544,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 77,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.3 days. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ATS. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on ATS in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $34.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on ATS in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company.

ATS Price Performance

ATS stock opened at $30.08 on Tuesday. ATS has a 52 week low of $29.90 and a 52 week high of $48.89. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.45.

ATS (NYSE:ATS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.02). ATS had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 5.89%. The firm had revenue of $552.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.95 million. On average, research analysts forecast that ATS will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ATS

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in ATS by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ATS by 4,342.1% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ATS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of ATS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Steph & Co. lifted its stake in shares of ATS by 133.6% in the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 6,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 3,554 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.84% of the company’s stock.

ATS Company Profile

ATS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides automation solutions worldwide. The company is also involved in planning, designing, building, commissioning, and servicing automated manufacturing and assembly systems, including automation products and test solutions. In addition, it offers pre-automation services comprising discovery and analysis, concept development, simulation, and total cost of ownership modelling; post automation services, including training, process optimization, preventative maintenance, emergency and on-call support, spare parts, retooling, retrofits, and equipment relocation; and contract manufacturing services, as well as after sales and services.