SFL (NYSE:SFL) Raised to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

SFL (NYSE:SFL) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. BTIG Research lifted their price target on SFL from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded SFL from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, SFL has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $12.00.

SFL Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE SFL opened at $10.58 on Friday. SFL has a 12 month low of $6.73 and a 12 month high of $11.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.88 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $9.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.54.

SFL (NYSE:SFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The shipping company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $175.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.36 million. SFL had a negative return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 3.61%.SFL’s revenue was down 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.15 earnings per share.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SFL by 789.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,317 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 2,944 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in SFL during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in SFL by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,008 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,405 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in SFL in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in SFL by 122.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,139 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 3,377 shares during the period. 28.59% of the stock is currently 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.