Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) Short Interest Down 18.9% in December

Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 786,846 shares, a decrease of 18.9% from the November 30th total of 969,992 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 364,102 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 364,102 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KEP shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Korea Electric Power to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Korea Electric Power in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Korea Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Korea Electric Power Stock Performance

KEP traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $16.49. 250,963 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 391,075. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.06 and a beta of 0.95. Korea Electric Power has a 1-year low of $6.68 and a 1-year high of $18.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78.

Korea Electric Power (NYSE:KEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The utilities provider reported $2.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $19.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.17 billion. Korea Electric Power had a return on equity of 19.00% and a net margin of 8.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Korea Electric Power

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KEP. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in Korea Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $824,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Korea Electric Power by 19.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 530,743 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,558,000 after acquiring an additional 87,682 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Korea Electric Power by 369.1% in the second quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 171,595 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,444,000 after acquiring an additional 135,017 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in shares of Korea Electric Power during the second quarter worth approximately $631,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Korea Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at $201,000.

Korea Electric Power Company Profile

Korea Electric Power (KEP) is a South Korea–based integrated electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The company’s activities span power plant operation and maintenance, grid management, fuel procurement and power trading, as well as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for large-scale power projects. Its asset base includes a mix of thermal, nuclear, hydro and renewable generation capacity, and the company supports system planning and reliability functions for the national electricity network.

In addition to core utility operations, KEP provides a range of technical and consulting services tied to power infrastructure, including plant construction, refurbishment and decommissioning support.