Short Interest in Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) Increases By 467.7%

Roche Holding AG (OTCMKTS:RHHBY) saw a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,741,100 shares, a growth of 467.7% from the February 13th total of 2,068,200 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 9,269,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Roche Stock Performance

Shares of Roche stock traded up $1.56 on Thursday, reaching $43.56. 1,301,199 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,964,496. Roche has a one year low of $29.20 and a one year high of $43.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $39.49 and a 200 day moving average of $38.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Roche

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its position in Roche by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 183,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,399,000 after buying an additional 603 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Roche by 37.7% in the fourth quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 110,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,866,000 after acquiring an additional 30,350 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in Roche by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 60,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,130,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in Roche by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 33,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,176,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in shares of Roche by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 23,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,000 after purchasing an additional 1,496 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RHHBY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Roche in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded Roche from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Roche to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Roche currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Roche Company Profile

Roche Holding AG engages in the pharmaceuticals and diagnostics businesses in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The company offers pharmaceutical products in the therapeutic areas of anemia, blood and solid tumors, dermatology, hemophilia, inflammatory and autoimmune, neurological disorders, ophthalmology, respiratory disorders, and transplantation.