Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 420,731 shares, an increase of 34.4% from the February 26th total of 313,031 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 373,216 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Central Puerto Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of NYSE:CEPU traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $15.43. 428,851 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 400,838. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.81 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.48. Central Puerto has a 52-week low of $7.43 and a 52-week high of $18.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CEPU. Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new stake in Central Puerto during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Central Puerto in the 4th quarter worth $174,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Central Puerto in the 4th quarter valued at about $174,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Central Puerto in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Central Puerto during the fourth quarter valued at about $271,000. 2.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CEPU. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Central Puerto from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Puerto in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.50.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA (NYSE: CEPU) is Argentina’s leading private power generation company, managing a diversified portfolio of thermal and renewable energy facilities across the country. Established following the privatization of the state-owned electricity company in the early 1990s, Central Puerto develops, operates and maintains a mix of combined-cycle and open-cycle gas turbine plants, as well as hydroelectric and renewable installations. The company’s thermal assets provide baseload and flexible generation capacity, while its renewable portfolio includes wind farms and solar parks that support Argentina’s clean energy objectives.

Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Central Puerto serves the national wholesale electricity market through long-term contracts with distribution companies and major industrial clients.