Short Interest in Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) Expands By 23.4%

Diana Shipping inc. (NYSE:DSX) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 944,434 shares, an increase of 23.4% from the December 15th total of 765,387 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 560,672 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 560,672 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DSX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Diana Shipping from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Diana Shipping in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Diana Shipping has an average rating of “Sell”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd grew its position in Diana Shipping by 117.1% in the second quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 35,600 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 19,205 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA acquired a new stake in shares of Diana Shipping during the 3rd quarter worth about $72,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Diana Shipping by 407.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 80,684 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 64,784 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in Diana Shipping in the third quarter valued at about $278,000. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. boosted its stake in Diana Shipping by 17.2% during the second quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 2,841,710 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $4,149,000 after buying an additional 417,275 shares during the period. 48.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Diana Shipping Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of DSX opened at $2.04 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.71. Diana Shipping has a one year low of $1.27 and a one year high of $2.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.68.

Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The shipping company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Diana Shipping had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 4.93%. The company had revenue of $51.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.00 million.

Diana Shipping Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Diana Shipping’s payout ratio is presently 36.36%.

Diana Shipping Company Profile

Diana Shipping Inc is a global shipping company incorporated in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and headquartered in Athens, Greece. The company specializes in the ownership and operation of dry bulk vessels that transport a variety of commodities, including coal, iron ore, grains, fertilizers, steel products and other bulk materials. Diana Shipping’s fleet comprises Panamax, Capesize, Newcastlemax and Supramax/Newcastlemax segments, enabling it to address the needs of customers on key global trade routes.

The company conducts its operations by chartering vessels on short‐term voyage charters and longer‐term period charters.