Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) Short Interest Up 46.0% in December

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,548,904 shares, an increase of 46.0% from the December 15th total of 3,116,332 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,098,722 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,098,722 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axalta Coating Systems

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXTA. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Axalta Coating Systems in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Axalta Coating Systems in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Axalta Coating Systems by 1,533.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,797 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,687 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Axalta Coating Systems by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. 98.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AXTA shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Axalta Coating Systems from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Axalta Coating Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Axalta Coating Systems from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Axalta Coating Systems from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Axalta Coating Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Axalta Coating Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.56.

Axalta Coating Systems Price Performance

Shares of AXTA traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $33.52. 7,486,993 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,984,932. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.15 billion, a PE ratio of 16.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.01. Axalta Coating Systems has a fifty-two week low of $26.28 and a fifty-two week high of $38.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE:AXTA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. Axalta Coating Systems had a net margin of 8.81% and a return on equity of 24.92%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. Axalta Coating Systems has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.600-0.600 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 2.500-2.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Axalta Coating Systems will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Axalta Coating Systems

Axalta Coating Systems is a global leader in the development, manufacture and sale of liquid and powder coatings. The company’s product portfolio spans refinish coatings for the automotive collision repair market, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings for new vehicle production, and industrial coatings including electrodeposition (E-coat) and powder coatings for a variety of sectors such as architecture, heavy equipment and general industrial applications.

Tracing its roots to the 19th century and rebranded as Axalta following its separation from DuPont Performance Coatings in 2013, the company has built a presence in more than 100 countries.