Short Interest in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX) Grows By 20.9%

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 225,200 shares, an increase of 20.9% from the March 15th total of 186,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 133,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days. Approximately 0.8% of the company's shares are sold short.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of BLX stock traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $38.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 23,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,217. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $37.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a 12-month low of $27.37 and a 12-month high of $42.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 0.88.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The bank reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $78.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.84 million. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 24.29%. On average, research analysts predict that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. will post 4.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.625 dividend. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.46%. This is a boost from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.'s payout ratio is presently 44.64%.

Institutional Trading of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLX. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. during the fourth quarter worth $202,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 14,497 shares of the bank's stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 4,087.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 26,462 shares of the bank's stock valued at $969,000 after acquiring an additional 25,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the 4th quarter valued at $1,603,000. 19.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It offers bilateral loans; structured loans including syndicated and clubbed, such as acquisition and pre-export financing, A/B loan financing, bridge loans, and liability management; and project financing.