SFL (NYSE:SFL) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemSFL (NYSE:SFL – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.
A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of SFL from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of SFL from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.00.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SFL
SFL Stock Performance
SFL opened at $10.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.98. SFL has a 1 year low of $6.73 and a 1 year high of $11.28. The stock has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.63 and a beta of 0.39.
SFL (NYSE:SFL – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The shipping company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. SFL had a negative net margin of 3.61% and a negative return on equity of 0.30%. The firm had revenue of $175.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.15 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 23.1% on a year-over-year basis.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On SFL
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in SFL by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,395 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $198,000 after acquiring an additional 1,474 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of SFL by 52.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 21,060 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 7,273 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of SFL by 122.0% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 181,556 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,489,000 after buying an additional 99,767 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of SFL by 10.4% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,034 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of SFL in the second quarter valued at about $139,000. 28.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About SFL
Ship Finance International Limited (NYSE: SFL) is an independent owner of modern, large-size ocean-going vessels that provides finance and leasing services to the global shipping industry. The company’s fleet encompasses a diversified mix of crude oil tankers, product and chemical tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, dry bulk carriers, container vessels and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units. By structuring long-term charter agreements and bareboat leases with major oil companies, commodity traders and offshore operators, Ship Finance International seeks to deliver stable cash flows and risk-adjusted returns for its shareholders.
In its core business, Ship Finance International acquires or finances vessels through forward sales agreements and then charters them out under fixed-rate contracts, typically ranging from five to 20 years in duration.