Short Interest in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE:BLX) Grows By 140.5%

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE:BLX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 394,969 shares, an increase of 140.5% from the February 26th total of 164,215 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 149,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Price Performance

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior stock opened at $49.19 on Thursday. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior has a 52-week low of $31.14 and a 52-week high of $51.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.76 and a 200-day moving average of $46.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.05 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The bank reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior had a net margin of 27.11% and a return on equity of 14.85%. The business had revenue of $325.94 million for the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.6875 dividend. This represents a $2.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. This is a boost from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s dividend payout ratio is 45.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 3,746 shares of the bank’s stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 12.0% during the third quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,988 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 4,270 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 11.5% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 46,968 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 4,843 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.47% of the company’s stock.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Company Profile

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA, commonly known as BLADEx and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BLX, is a multilateral financial institution dedicated to promoting foreign trade and regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Panama City, the bank provides specialized trade finance solutions to corporate clients and financial institutions, helping to facilitate cross-border transactions across key markets in the region. Its services encompass import and export financing, supply chain solutions, project and structured finance, as well as treasury and risk management products.

Established in 1977 by a consortium of 20 Latin American and Caribbean governments in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), BLADEx has a mandate to support economic development through trade facilitation.