Pampa Energia S.A. (NYSE:PAM) Short Interest Down 35.2% in August

Pampa Energia S.A. (NYSE:PAM) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 217,236 shares, a decline of 35.2% from the July 30th total of 335,372 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 170,793 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PAM shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a research note on Friday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Pampa Energia from $101.50 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Pampa Energia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Pampa Energia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pampa Energia has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.00.

Pampa Energia Trading Up 1.7%

PAM traded up $1.40 on Tuesday, reaching $83.72. 158,469 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 216,006. Pampa Energia has a twelve month low of $54.95 and a twelve month high of $94.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $82.53 and its 200-day moving average is $82.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 3.23 and a current ratio of 3.64. The company has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.95, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.97.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The utilities provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 23.58% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm had revenue of $746.00 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Pampa Energia will post 10.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Damian Miguel Mindlin sold 555,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.55, for a total transaction of $1,970,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 12,541,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,523,638.50. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Marcos Marcelo Mindlin acquired 150,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $3.38 per share, for a total transaction of $507,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 22,180,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,970,400.96. This trade represents a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 2,860,619 shares of company stock valued at $9,591,974 and sold 3,557,000 shares valued at $12,402,070. 55.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pampa Energia

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Pampa Energia during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Pampa Energia in the fourth quarter valued at about $104,000. Van ECK Associates Corp purchased a new position in Pampa Energia in the third quarter valued at about $139,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the fourth quarter worth about $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

About Pampa Energia

Pampa Energía SA is Argentina’s largest independent energy company, with integrated operations spanning electricity generation, transmission, distribution and oil and gas activities. The company holds a diversified portfolio of thermal and hydroelectric power plants, along with growing investments in renewable energy projects, serving both domestic and regional markets.

In its electricity business, Pampa Energía develops and operates plants that supply energy to Argentina’s power grid.