Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 741.1% in October

Key Points

• Bank Hapoalim’s short interest surged 741.1% in October to 3,112 shares, up from 370 shares at the end of September. Despite the increase, short interest represents approximately 0.0% of shares outstanding, with a 0.2-day days-to-cover ratio.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: Jefferies upgraded the stock from “Hold” to “Strong Buy,” while the two-analyst consensus rating is “Buy.”
• The stock opened at $124.10, with a market capitalization of $32.42 billion and a P/E ratio of 11.28. In its latest quarter, Bank Hapoalim reported EPS of $3.21, beating estimates by $0.20.

Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,112 shares, an increase of 741.1% from the September 30th total of 370 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 15,268 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Bank Hapoalim from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Bank Hapoalim Stock Up 1.1%

BKHYY stock opened at $124.10 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $128.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.93. The company has a market capitalization of $32.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Bank Hapoalim has a 12 month low of $98.40 and a 12 month high of $146.00.

Bank Hapoalim (OTCMKTS:BKHYY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The bank reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.01 by $0.20. Bank Hapoalim had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 22.88%. The company had revenue of $1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.13 billion.

Bank Hapoalim Company Profile

Bank Hapoalim B.M. is one of Israel's largest banking institutions. Founded in 1921, the bank provides a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses, institutional clients and government-related entities, with its primary operations based in Israel.

Its services include personal and business checking accounts, deposits, consumer and commercial lending, mortgages, credit cards, payments, foreign-currency services, investment products and digital banking. Bank Hapoalim also offers corporate and investment banking services, including financing, cash management, trade finance, capital-markets services and advisory solutions for larger companies and institutional customers.

In addition to its extensive branch network and digital channels in Israel, the bank serves selected international clients through overseas activities and representative operations.

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