Precision Optics Corp. (NASDAQ:POCI) Short Interest Down 20.2% in April

Precision Optics Corp. (NASDAQ:POCI) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 21,176 shares, a decline of 20.2% from the March 31st total of 26,535 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 43,390 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Precision Optics Stock Performance

NASDAQ POCI traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $4.23. The stock had a trading volume of 16,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,864. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.29 and a 200 day moving average of $4.42. The stock has a market cap of $32.70 million, a P/E ratio of -4.60 and a beta of 0.32. Precision Optics has a 52-week low of $3.55 and a 52-week high of $6.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Precision Optics (NASDAQ:POCI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $7.37 million during the quarter. Precision Optics had a negative net margin of 28.33% and a negative return on equity of 60.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Precision Optics in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Precision Optics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of POCI. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Precision Optics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Needham Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Precision Optics by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 720,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Precision Optics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Precision Optics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, WealthTrust Axiom LLC boosted its position in Precision Optics by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. WealthTrust Axiom LLC now owns 231,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $970,000 after purchasing an additional 6,158 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.71% of the company’s stock.

About Precision Optics

Precision Optics Corporation, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells specialized optical and illumination systems and related components primarily in the United States and the European Economic Area. It offers medical instrumentation products, including endoscopes and endocouplers, as well as other custom imaging and illumination products, such as Microprecision lenses and micro medical cameras, and 3D endoscopes for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures by hospitals and physicians.