H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEES) Short Interest Update

H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEES) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,320,000 shares, a growth of 5.6% from the December 31st total of 1,250,000 shares. Currently, 4.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 265,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H&E Equipment Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HEES. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in H&E Equipment Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,780,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in H&E Equipment Services by 186.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 194,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,449,000 after purchasing an additional 126,244 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in H&E Equipment Services by 200.6% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 133,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,899,000 after acquiring an additional 89,128 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services during the 3rd quarter worth $3,489,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its stake in shares of H&E Equipment Services by 36.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 237,785 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,575,000 after purchasing an additional 63,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.08% of the company’s stock.

H&E Equipment Services Stock Performance

Shares of H&E Equipment Services stock opened at $88.20 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.39 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.17. H&E Equipment Services has a 12 month low of $40.92 and a 12 month high of $90.66.

H&E Equipment Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. H&E Equipment Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HEES shares. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target (down previously from $62.00) on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $92.00 target price (up from $60.00) on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.25.

About H&E Equipment Services

H&E Equipment Services, Inc engages in the provision of equipment services, which focus on heavy construction and industrial equipment. It operates through the following segments: Equipment Rentals, New Equipment Sales, Used Equipment Sales, Parts Sales, and Services. The Equipment Rentals segment focuses on renting construction and industrial equipment.