Short Interest in Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD) Rises By 35.8%

Banco Bradesco S.A. (NYSE:BBD - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 115,210,000 shares, an increase of 35.8% from the December 31st total of 84,850,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 32,950,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Banco Bradesco by 99.9% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,254 shares of the bank's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 5,623 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bradesco during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Traveka Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Bradesco in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Banco Bradesco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Banco Bradesco by 110.5% during the third quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 20,000 shares of the bank's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 10,500 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HSBC upgraded Banco Bradesco from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $2.80 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Banco Bradesco from $3.20 to $2.30 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Banco Bradesco from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th.

Banco Bradesco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BBD traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $2.12. 39,132,085 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 51,893,898. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $22.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.94. Banco Bradesco has a 1 year low of $1.84 and a 1 year high of $3.36.

Banco Bradesco (NYSE:BBD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The bank reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.62 billion. Banco Bradesco had a return on equity of 10.17% and a net margin of 7.43%. On average, research analysts forecast that Banco Bradesco will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Banco Bradesco Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.0031 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. Banco Bradesco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.54%.

About Banco Bradesco

Banco Bradesco SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, corporates, and businesses in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Banking and Insurance. It provides current, savings, click, and salary accounts; real estate credit, vehicle financing, payroll loans, mortgage loans, microcredit, leasing, and personal and installment credit; overdraft and agribusiness loans; debit and business cards; financial and security services; consortium products; car, personal accident, dental, travel, and life insurance; investment products; pension products; foreign currency exchange services; capitalization bonds; and internet banking services.