CPI Card Group Inc. (NASDAQ:PMTS) Short Interest Update

CPI Card Group Inc. (NASDAQ:PMTS) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 295,339 shares, a growth of 15.3% from the February 12th total of 256,059 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,986 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,986 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.7 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

CPI Card Group Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of PMTS stock opened at $13.93 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $159.64 million, a P/E ratio of 11.14 and a beta of 1.22. CPI Card Group has a fifty-two week low of $10.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.60.

CPI Card Group (NASDAQ:PMTS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.27. CPI Card Group had a net margin of 2.75% and a negative return on equity of 78.82%. The firm had revenue of $153.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $145.22 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CPI Card Group will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PMTS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of CPI Card Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of CPI Card Group in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CPI Card Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of CPI Card Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.25.

Institutional Trading of CPI Card Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PMTS. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of CPI Card Group by 75.0% during the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 391,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,925,000 after acquiring an additional 167,764 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in CPI Card Group by 56.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 357,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,486,000 after purchasing an additional 128,808 shares during the period. Vector Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in CPI Card Group by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vector Capital Management L.P. now owns 459,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,954,000 after purchasing an additional 71,891 shares during the period. Pembroke Management LTD grew its position in CPI Card Group by 87.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pembroke Management LTD now owns 99,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 46,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aristeia Capital L.L.C. purchased a new position in CPI Card Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $597,000. 22.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About CPI Card Group

CPI Card Group, Inc (NASDAQ: PMTS) is a leading provider of payment, identification and related credential solutions for financial institutions, governments and private enterprises. The company specializes in the design, manufacturing and personalization of secure plastic and metal cards, including EMV chip, magnetic-stripe and contactless cards. CPI Card Group also offers digital credentialing services and cloud-based card management tools that enable real-time controls, mobile wallet integration, fraud monitoring and analytics.

With a focus on security and innovation, CPI Card Group integrates advanced features such as holograms, microprinting, RFID/NFC technology and laser-engraved artwork into its card products.