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

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:BLX traded down $0.47 on Friday, reaching $49.67. The company had a trading volume of 177,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 163,694. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.85 billion, a PE ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior has a 52-week low of $31.14 and a 52-week high of $51.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.31.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The bank reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior had a return on equity of 14.85% and a net margin of 27.11%.The company had revenue of $88.80 million for the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.6875 dividend. This represents a $2.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. This is an increase from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s payout ratio is presently 45.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

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

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

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.