Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:WOOF) Short Interest Update

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:WOOF) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 15,321,731 shares, a decline of 15.3% from the December 31st total of 18,090,157 shares. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,233,635 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,233,635 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.9 days. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Petco Health and Wellness Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WOOF opened at $2.69 on Monday. Petco Health and Wellness has a 1-year low of $2.28 and a 1-year high of $4.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $858.22 million, a PE ratio of -268.73 and a beta of 1.72. The business’s 50 day moving average is $2.98 and its 200-day moving average is $3.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

Petco Health and Wellness (NASDAQ:WOOF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.02. Petco Health and Wellness had a positive return on equity of 0.46% and a negative net margin of 0.04%.The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.02) earnings per share. Petco Health and Wellness’s revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Petco Health and Wellness will post -0.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Petco Health and Wellness from $3.00 to $4.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Zacks Research cut Petco Health and Wellness from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Petco Health and Wellness in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $3.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Petco Health and Wellness news, CRO Patrick J. Venezia sold 74,192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.08, for a total transaction of $228,511.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive directly owned 474,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,462,531.84. This represents a 13.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Petco Health and Wellness

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WOOF. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its position in Petco Health and Wellness by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 92,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 6,847 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Petco Health and Wellness by 166.8% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 34,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 21,792 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Petco Health and Wellness by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 90,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after buying an additional 33,878 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Petco Health and Wellness by 280.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 832,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,221,000 after buying an additional 613,591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenfield Seitz Capital Management LLC grew its position in Petco Health and Wellness by 64.4% in the third quarter. Greenfield Seitz Capital Management LLC now owns 60,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 23,500 shares during the period.

Petco Health and Wellness Company Profile

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc (NASDAQ: WOOF) is a leading U.S. pet specialty retailer focused on delivering products, services and solutions that improve the health and well-being of pets. The company operates a network of retail locations that provide high-quality pet food, supplies and accessories, along with a growing digital platform that supports online ordering, subscription delivery and telehealth consultations for pets.

In addition to its retail offerings, Petco has built a full suite of in-store and virtual services, including grooming, training, dog daycare and veterinary care.