SFL (NYSE:SFL) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

SFL Corporation Ltd. (NYSE:SFL) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $8.52 and traded as high as $10.84. SFL shares last traded at $10.6450, with a volume of 988,650 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of SFL from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of SFL from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of SFL from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $12.00.

SFL Trading Up 0.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.23 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.52.

SFL (NYSE:SFL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The shipping company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter. SFL had a negative return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 3.61%.The business had revenue of $175.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. SFL’s revenue for the quarter was down 23.1% on a year-over-year basis.

SFL Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.5%. SFL’s dividend payout ratio is currently -400.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SFL

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of SFL by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 29,778 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares in the last quarter. Novak & Powell Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in SFL by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Novak & Powell Financial Services Inc. now owns 44,009 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 1,373 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in SFL by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,008 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,405 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in SFL by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 22,171 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of SFL by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,395 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 1,474 shares during the period. 28.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About SFL

Ship Finance International Limited (NYSE: SFL) is an independent owner of modern, large-size ocean-going vessels that provides finance and leasing services to the global shipping industry. The company’s fleet encompasses a diversified mix of crude oil tankers, product and chemical tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, dry bulk carriers, container vessels and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units. By structuring long-term charter agreements and bareboat leases with major oil companies, commodity traders and offshore operators, Ship Finance International seeks to deliver stable cash flows and risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.

In its core business, Ship Finance International acquires or finances vessels through forward sales agreements and then charters them out under fixed-rate contracts, typically ranging from five to 20 years in duration.