Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) Short Interest Up 307.6% in December

Japan Tob (OTCMKTS:JAPAY) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 31,592 shares, an increase of 307.6% from the December 15th total of 7,750 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 390,601 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 390,601 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on JAPAY. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Japan Tob in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Zacks Research upgraded Japan Tob from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Japan Tob has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Japan Tob Trading Up 0.4%

OTCMKTS JAPAY traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $18.34. The company had a trading volume of 403,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 95,508. Japan Tob has a 1-year low of $11.91 and a 1-year high of $19.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.40 and a 200 day moving average of $16.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.15 and a beta of 0.35.

About Japan Tob

Japan Tobacco Inc (OTC: JAPAY) is a Tokyo-based multinational company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. The company’s core activities include the development, production and distribution of cigarettes and other nicotine-delivery products for domestic and international markets. Japan Tobacco also pursues business activities beyond tobacco, including pharmaceutical and processed?food operations through subsidiary units and strategic investments.

In its tobacco operations the company serves both the Japanese market and a broad international footprint through its global operating arm, Japan Tobacco International (JTI).