Insperity, Inc. (NYSE:NSP) Short Interest Up 21.7% in February

Insperity, Inc. (NYSE:NSP) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,300,000 shares, a growth of 21.7% from the January 31st total of 1,890,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 426,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days. Approximately 6.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Insperity from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.67.

Insider Activity at Insperity

In related news, COO Arthur A. Arizpe sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.68, for a total value of $508,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 72,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,143,618.68. The trade was a 7.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Paul J. Sarvadi sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.32, for a total value of $2,108,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 436,584 shares in the company, valued at $36,812,762.88. The trade was a 5.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Insperity

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NSP. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Insperity by 493.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 350 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Insperity during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in Insperity in the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Insperity by 45.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 849 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Insperity by 26.4% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,034 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 93.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insperity Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NSP opened at $86.46 on Friday. Insperity has a fifty-two week low of $68.79 and a fifty-two week high of $110.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.80. The company has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a PE ratio of 35.88 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $80.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.74.

Insperity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Insperity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 99.59%.

About Insperity

Insperity, Inc engages in the provision of human resources (HR) and business solutions to improve business performance for small and medium-sized businesses primarily in the United States. It offers its HR services through its workforce optimization and workforce synchronization solutions that include a range of human resources functions, such as payroll and employment administration, employee benefits, workers' compensation, government compliance, performance management, and training and development services.