Pampa Energía S.A. (NYSE:PAM) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Pampa Energía S.A. (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 162,300 shares, an increase of 30.7% from the March 31st total of 124,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 247,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.7 days. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Pampa Energía from $59.00 to $93.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.63.

Pampa Energía Price Performance

Shares of Pampa Energía stock traded up $0.11 on Thursday, hitting $71.76. 5,896 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 257,284. Pampa Energía has a 1-year low of $38.58 and a 1-year high of $97.55. The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $75.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.84.

Pampa Energía (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Pampa Energía had a return on equity of 12.15% and a net margin of 19.86%. The business had revenue of $435.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $454.61 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Pampa Energía will post 9.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Pampa Energía

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in Pampa Energía in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Pampa Energía in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pampa Energía by 62.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 672 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. Compass Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pampa Energía during the 4th quarter worth about $152,000. Finally, Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Pampa Energía in the 1st quarter valued at about $186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.77% of the company's stock.

About Pampa Energía

Pampa Energía SA operates as an integrated power company in Argentina. The company operates through Electricity Generation, Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, and Holding and Other Business segments. It generates electricity through thermal plants, hydroelectric plants, and wind farms with a 5,332 megawatt (MW) installed capacity.