Short Interest in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX) Grows By 10.6%

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 284,500 shares, a growth of 10.6% from the March 15th total of 257,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 130,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLX. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. during the third quarter worth about $976,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the third quarter valued at approximately $630,000. Diversified Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the third quarter valued at approximately $488,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 5.2% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 44,409 shares of the bank's stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Finally, Thomas White International Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 0.3% in the first quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 353,718 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 19.47% of the company's stock.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of BLX stock traded up $0.02 on Monday, hitting $29.44. The stock had a trading volume of 115,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,907. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.52 and a 200 day moving average of $25.18. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a 12-month low of $17.09 and a 12-month high of $30.65.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The bank reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. had a net margin of 23.34% and a return on equity of 14.49%. The business had revenue of $77.79 million during the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

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

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This is a positive change from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th.

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 through two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It also 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.