ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 642,700 shares, a growth of 18.0% from the March 15th total of 544,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 77,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.3 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of ATS by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of ATS by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 8,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of ATS by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ATS during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of ATS by 4,342.1% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.84% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of ATS in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a “sell” rating and a $34.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of ATS in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock.

ATS Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of ATS stock opened at $30.08 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $36.52 and its 200 day moving average is $38.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion and a P/E ratio of 22.45. ATS has a 12-month low of $29.90 and a 12-month high of $48.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

ATS (NYSE:ATS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $552.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $536.95 million. ATS had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 5.89%. Research analysts expect that ATS will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current year.

About ATS

ATS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides automation solutions worldwide. The company is also involved in planning, designing, building, commissioning, and servicing automated manufacturing and assembly systems, including automation products and test solutions. In addition, it offers pre-automation services comprising discovery and analysis, concept development, simulation, and total cost of ownership modelling; post automation services, including training, process optimization, preventative maintenance, emergency and on-call support, spare parts, retooling, retrofits, and equipment relocation; and contract manufacturing services, as well as after sales and services.