Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH) Short Interest Update

Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 548,300 shares, a growth of 39.7% from the April 30th total of 392,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 325,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Banco de Chile by 823.3% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,385 shares of the bank's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,235 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco de Chile by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,903 shares of the bank's stock valued at $89,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Banco de Chile by 41.3% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,416 shares of the bank's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,291 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Banco de Chile by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,324 shares of the bank's stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Banco de Chile in the 4th quarter valued at $151,000. 1.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banco de Chile Stock Up 0.2%

BCH stock traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $30.26. The company had a trading volume of 207,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,306. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.10. The company has a market capitalization of $15.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.06, a PEG ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.24. Banco de Chile has a 1 year low of $22.06 and a 1 year high of $31.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Banco de Chile Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $2.1037 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a yield of 5.1%. Banco de Chile's payout ratio is 54.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Banco de Chile from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Banco de Chile Company Profile

Banco de Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking services to customers in Chile. The company offers checking and debit accounts, debit and credit cards, and lines of credit; mortgage, consume, commercial, general purpose mortgage loans, and finance leases; and factoring services, mutual fund management, stock brokerage, foreign trade, payments and collections, insurance brokerage, including life and general insurance, as well as time deposits, savings instruments, and foreign currency services through branches under the Banco de Chile and Banco Edwards brands.