Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP (NYSE:SBS) Short Interest Up 23.0% in May

Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP (NYSE:SBS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,640,000 shares, an increase of 23.0% from the April 30th total of 2,960,000 shares. Currently, 0.5% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,180,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE SBS traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $20.56. 814,091 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,112,100. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $14.05 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09 and a beta of 0.72. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $19.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.20. Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP has a 52 week low of $13.10 and a 52 week high of $21.14.

Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP (NYSE:SBS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.67 billion. Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP had a net margin of 25.62% and a return on equity of 27.73%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP in the 1st quarter worth $29,142,000. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP by 349.0% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 152,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,717,000 after purchasing an additional 118,237 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP by 182.6% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 29,828 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 19,274 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its position in shares of Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP by 62.4% in the 1st quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 579,489 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $10,073,000 after purchasing an additional 222,724 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its position in shares of Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 57,023 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 2,995 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 10.62% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th.

About Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP

Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo SABESP engages in the provision of water and sewage service. It also offers advisory services on the rational use of water, planning and commercial, and financial and operational management. The company was founded on September 6, 1973 and is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil.