Short Interest in JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) Grows By 18.7%

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 32,120,000 shares, a growth of 18.7% from the April 15th total of 27,070,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 13,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

JD.com Price Performance

JD stock traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $34.05. 16,897,634 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,104,846. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.99, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $28.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.34. JD.com has a 12 month low of $20.82 and a 12 month high of $41.95.

JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The information services provider reported $5.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $4.74. JD.com had a net margin of 2.22% and a return on equity of 10.87%. The firm had revenue of $306.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.21 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that JD.com will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

JD.com Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th were issued a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 4th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.99%. JD.com’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JD.com

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JD. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in JD.com by 0.9% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 39,941 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its position in JD.com by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,500 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $158,000 after buying an additional 502 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in JD.com by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 11,727 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of JD.com by 1.5% during the first quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,966 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of JD.com by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 5,381 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. 15.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JD shares. Susquehanna dropped their price target on JD.com from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com downgraded JD.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Nomura cut their price target on shares of JD.com from $36.00 to $33.00 in a report on Friday, April 5th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of JD.com from $45.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of JD.com in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.33.

JD.com Company Profile

JD.com, Inc operates as a supply chain-based technology and service provider in the People's Republic of China. The company offers computers, communication, and consumer electronics products, as well as home appliances; and general merchandise products comprising food, beverage and fresh produce, baby and maternity products, furniture and household goods, cosmetics and other personal care items, pharmaceutical and healthcare products, industrial products, books, automobile accessories, apparel and footwear, bags, and jewelry.