Short Interest in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX) Expands By 10.6%

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 284,500 shares, a growth of 10.6% from the March 15th total of 257,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 130,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Stock Down 0.1 %

BLX opened at $29.40 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a 1-year low of $17.09 and a 1-year high of $30.65. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 6.45 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.18.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The bank reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. had a net margin of 23.34% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business had revenue of $77.79 million for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.80%. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.’s dividend payout ratio is 43.86%.

Institutional Trading of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the third quarter worth $488,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the third quarter worth $630,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 2.3% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 42,209 shares of the bank’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the third quarter worth $976,000. Finally, Thomas White International Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 0.3% in the first quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 353,718 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. 19.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th.

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates through two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It also offers bilateral loans; structured loans including syndicated and clubbed, such as acquisition and pre-export financing, A/B loan financing, bridge loans, and liability management; and project financing.