Marshall Wace LLP Grows Stake in Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH - Free Report) by 36.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 440,004 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 117,045 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.09% of Banco de Chile worth $9,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Banco de Chile by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 3,236,373 shares of the bank's stock valued at $73,401,000 after buying an additional 618,891 shares during the last quarter. Truffle Hound Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Banco de Chile during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,536,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Banco de Chile in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,033,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Banco de Chile in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,033,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Banco de Chile by 293.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 128,448 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,251,000 after purchasing an additional 95,797 shares during the period. 1.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banco de Chile Stock Performance

Shares of BCH stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $30.68. 245,206 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 234,433. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.52. Banco de Chile has a 1 year low of $21.76 and a 1 year high of $30.82. The company has a market cap of $15.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.31. The company's 50 day moving average is $27.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.88.

Banco de Chile Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 5.1%. Banco de Chile's payout ratio is currently 62.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BCH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Banco de Chile from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Banco de Chile from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th.

About Banco de Chile

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.