Short Interest in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) Increases By 5.4%

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,050,000 shares, an increase of 5.4% from the November 30th total of 6,690,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,910,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days. Currently, 4.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Price Performance

Shares of HLX opened at $9.32 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 233.06 and a beta of 2.45. Helix Energy Solutions Group has a 1 year low of $8.81 and a 1 year high of $13.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $9.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE:HLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $342.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $354.74 million. Helix Energy Solutions Group had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 4.39%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Helix Energy Solutions Group will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on HLX shares. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Helix Energy Solutions Group from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James began coverage on Helix Energy Solutions Group in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research lowered shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th.

Insider Transactions at Helix Energy Solutions Group

In other Helix Energy Solutions Group news, Director Diana Glassman sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total value of $159,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $259,762.02. This trade represents a 37.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Scott Andrew Sparks sold 170,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.87, for a total transaction of $1,677,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 112,634 shares in the company, valued at $1,111,697.58. The trade was a 60.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 6.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Helix Energy Solutions Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. acquired a new position in Helix Energy Solutions Group in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Helix Energy Solutions Group by 21.1% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,722 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Helix Energy Solutions Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $130,000. Institutional investors own 91.33% of the company’s stock.

About Helix Energy Solutions Group

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast of the United States, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through four segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, Production Facilities, and Shallow Water Abandonment segments.