Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) Short Interest Up 26.6% in March

Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,487,674 shares, an increase of 26.6% from the March 15th total of 1,964,358 shares. Approximately 4.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 606,520 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oshkosh

In other news, SVP Anupam Khare sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.07, for a total transaction of $676,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,577 shares in the company, valued at $2,295,463.39. This trade represents a 22.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oshkosh

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in OSK. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Oshkosh by 43.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 225,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,180,000 after buying an additional 68,165 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Oshkosh by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 188,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,705,000 after buying an additional 14,122 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new stake in Oshkosh in the 1st quarter valued at about $567,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Oshkosh in the 2nd quarter valued at about $325,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Oshkosh by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 111,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,626,000 after buying an additional 1,404 shares during the period. 92.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oshkosh Trading Up 2.5%

Oshkosh stock traded up $3.51 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $143.72. The stock had a trading volume of 296,561 shares, compared to its average volume of 775,178. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Oshkosh has a 52-week low of $80.29 and a 52-week high of $180.49. The firm has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $157.69 and a 200 day moving average of $142.30.

Oshkosh (NYSE:OSK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.07). Oshkosh had a return on equity of 15.69% and a net margin of 6.21%.The firm had revenue of $2.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.60 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.58 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Oshkosh will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oshkosh Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from Oshkosh’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Oshkosh’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upgraded Oshkosh from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $149.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Oshkosh from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Oshkosh from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $182.00 price target on Oshkosh in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $183.00 price objective on Oshkosh in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Oshkosh presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.56.

About Oshkosh

Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty trucks, military vehicles and access equipment. The company’s offerings span critical end markets, including defense, fire and emergency services, commercial construction and industrial sectors. By combining engineering expertise with advanced technologies, Oshkosh delivers solutions that enhance mobility, safety and productivity for its customers.

Founded in 1917 and headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the company has evolved from producing heavy-duty dump trucks to a diversified portfolio of products and services.