Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE:BLX) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $50.51 and last traded at $49.5750, with a volume of 4361 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BLX. Weiss Ratings raised Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Stock Up 1.0%

The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.42 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $45.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.19.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The bank reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $88.80 million during the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 26.58%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. will post 4.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.6875 per share. This is an increase from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 7.5% in the third 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. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 12.0% in the third quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,988 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 4,270 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 11.5% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 46,968 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 4,843 shares during the last quarter. 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.