Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) hit a new 52-week high of $57.49 on Monday (last $57.1580) with about 152,476 shares traded, leaving the company with a market cap of $2.13 billion and a P/E of 9.35.
• Weiss Ratings upgraded BLX from "buy (b+)" to "buy (a-)", and MarketBeat data shows the stock's average analyst sentiment as Strong Buy.
• The bank raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6875 ($2.75 annualized) for a 4.8% yield, and recently reported quarterly EPS of $1.50 with a 27.11% net margin and 14.85% return on equity.

Shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $57.49 and last traded at $57.1580, with a volume of 152476 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $56.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Strong Buy".

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Trading Up 1.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a PE ratio of 9.35 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $50.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The bank reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $88.80 million during the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior had a net margin of 27.11% and a return on equity of 14.85%.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.6875 dividend. This represents a $2.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a boost from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior's previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.01%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 3,746 shares of the bank's stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co. bought a new position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Diversified Trust Co boosted its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 63.0% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,316 shares of the bank's stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 2,827 shares during the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 12.0% during the third quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,988 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,838,000 after buying an additional 4,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 4.8% during the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,864 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,648,000 after buying an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.

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