BNP Paribas SA (OTCMKTS:BNPQY) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest surged 77.6% to 148,604 shares as of August 31, up from 83,664 shares two weeks earlier. Despite the increase, only about 0.0% of shares were sold short, with a days-to-cover ratio of 0.4.
• BNP Paribas reported quarterly earnings of $2.16 per share, exceeding estimates of $1.92, while revenue of $16.38 billion also surpassed expectations. The company posted a 25.22% net margin and 10.32% return on equity.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with the stock holding a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating. Shares opened at $58.72, compared with a 52-week range of $37.50 to $65.50.

BNP Paribas SA (OTCMKTS:BNPQY - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 148,604 shares, an increase of 77.6% from the August 15th total of 83,664 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 357,910 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

BNP Paribas Price Performance

BNP Paribas stock opened at $58.72 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.91. BNP Paribas has a 52-week low of $37.50 and a 52-week high of $65.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $129.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.76.

BNP Paribas (OTCMKTS:BNPQY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.24. BNP Paribas had a return on equity of 10.32% and a net margin of 25.22%.The company had revenue of $16.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that BNP Paribas will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on BNPQY. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of BNP Paribas in a report on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of BNP Paribas in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. DZ Bank raised BNP Paribas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of BNP Paribas in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised BNP Paribas from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is a diversified European banking group headquartered in Paris, France. The company provides banking and financial services to individual customers, small and medium-sized businesses, corporations, institutional investors and public-sector organizations. Its activities include retail and commercial banking, consumer finance, commercial real estate, insurance, asset management, wealth management, securities services and investment banking.

BNP Paribas organizes its operations into three principal business divisions: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services; Commercial, Corporate & Institutional Banking; and Investment & Protection Services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.