Short sellers have in the past targeted relatively illiquid mid cap companies, and EIF fits this bill. It's a retail stock and short reports are designed to cause panic. Right now the short interest in Canada is 3.4%, and in the US less than 1%. They seem to have moved on (and likely lost money). We wouldn't be too concerned about Morningstar. It uses a quantitative approach which does not fit or work well with all companies. Bay Street has 12 BUYS and 1 HOLD on the company right now. To us, all looks good right now. Our only comment is that, historically, EIF has issued stock to make acquisitions. With the stock's 27% YTD gain, an equity issue in the near term would not surprise us in any way. It has not issued in two years. This would likely cap the stock for a short period but we would not see it as concerning overall, especially if an acquisition came along with it. With interest rates heading lower we think the analysts' average target of $81 is doable, certainly.
5i Research Answer: