Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO) Short Interest Up 25.2% in April

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,790,000 shares, a growth of 25.2% from the March 31st total of 1,430,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company's shares are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Arcos Dorados from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Arcos Dorados during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,051,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in Arcos Dorados during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,101,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Arcos Dorados by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 184,039 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,340,000 after purchasing an additional 77,958 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Arcos Dorados by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 534,990 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,895,000 after buying an additional 58,453 shares during the period. Finally, Dodge & Cox purchased a new position in Arcos Dorados in the fourth quarter valued at $772,000. 55.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arcos Dorados Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE ARCO traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $7.89. 322,437 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,390,747. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $7.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.92. The stock has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Arcos Dorados has a 52 week low of $6.66 and a 52 week high of $11.49.

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. Arcos Dorados had a return on equity of 29.74% and a net margin of 3.25%. Analysts forecast that Arcos Dorados will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arcos Dorados Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. Arcos Dorados's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

Arcos Dorados Company Profile

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc operates as a franchisee of McDonald's restaurants. It has the exclusive right to own, operate, and grant franchises of McDonald's restaurants in 20 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, the U.S.