Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) Short Interest Down 48.2% in May

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 24,695 shares, a decrease of 48.2% from the April 30th total of 47,714 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,366 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Xcel Brands Price Performance

Xcel Brands stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $2.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 32,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,221. Xcel Brands has a fifty-two week low of $0.74 and a fifty-two week high of $2.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.58 million, a PE ratio of -0.50 and a beta of 1.16.

Xcel Brands (NASDAQ:XELB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The textile maker reported ($0.42) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.64) by $0.22. The company had revenue of $1.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 million. Xcel Brands had a negative return on equity of 83.71% and a negative net margin of 361.04%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Brands will post -1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Xcel Brands from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Xcel Brands has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $3.00.

Institutional Trading of Xcel Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XELB. Potomac Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $441,000. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $88,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Xcel Brands by 98.1% during the 4th quarter. DRW Securities LLC now owns 34,434 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 17,053 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.55% of the company’s stock.

About Xcel Brands

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ: XELB) is a lifestyle brand management company that acquires, develops and markets consumer product brands spanning fashion, entertainment and home categories. The company works with designers, celebrities and entertainment properties to create branded apparel, accessories, jewelry and home décor collections. Its portfolio includes licensed and proprietary brands such as Judith Ripka, Isaac Mizrahi and Simple Joys by Carter’s, among others.

The company’s business model centers on sourcing creative talent and intellectual property, then leveraging an in-house product development team to design collections that are manufactured by third-party partners.