Aaron’s Holdings Company, Inc. (NYSE:PRG) Short Interest Up 35.1% in December

Aaron’s Holdings Company, Inc. (NYSE:PRG) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,178,456 shares, a growth of 35.1% from the November 30th total of 2,352,942 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 532,998 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.0 days. Approximately 8.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 8.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 532,998 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PRG shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aaron’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. TD Cowen cut their target price on Aaron’s from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Aaron’s in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aaron’s in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BTIG Research raised shares of Aaron’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.71.

Aaron’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PRG traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.48. 328,311 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 609,022. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.48 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $29.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.11. Aaron’s has a 52 week low of $23.50 and a 52 week high of $44.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 4.74 and a quick ratio of 2.65.

Aaron’s (NYSE:PRG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.17. Aaron’s had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 22.36%. The firm had revenue of $595.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $586.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. Aaron’s’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Aaron’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.350-3.450 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.550-0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Aaron’s will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aaron’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Aaron’s’s payout ratio is currently 13.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aaron’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in Aaron’s by 503.6% during the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 109,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,217,000 after acquiring an additional 91,439 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Aaron’s during the first quarter worth approximately $577,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Aaron’s during the second quarter worth approximately $6,191,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in Aaron’s by 33.6% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 42,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 10,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Aaron’s by 2.3% in the second quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 17,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $519,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.92% of the company’s stock.

About Aaron’s

PROG Holdings, Inc (NYSE: PRG), formerly known as Aaron’s, is a North American provider of lease-to-own and consumer finance solutions. The company operates through two primary segments: Aaron’s Business Solutions and Progressive Financial Services. Through Aaron’s Business Solutions, PROG offers customers access to furniture, electronics, home appliances and technology products via lease ownership arrangements, serving both individual consumers and small businesses.

The Progressive Financial Services segment provides lease-purchase and retail point-of-sale financing programs to customers with limited credit histories.