Short Interest in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:LOMA) Drops By 28.7%

Key Points

• Short interest in LOMA fell by 28.7% to 2,005,749 shares as of March 13, leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 4.4 and about 1.7% of shares sold short.
• Shares traded down 3.2% to $10.03 on Friday; the company has a market cap of $1.17 billion and a trailing P/E of 62.72.
• Analyst sentiment is a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $14.80 (four Buys, one Hold), while Weiss Ratings recently restated a Hold (c-).

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:LOMA - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,005,749 shares, a decrease of 28.7% from the February 26th total of 2,814,599 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 457,188 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company's shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina in a report on Monday, December 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $14.80.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of LOMA traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.03. 374,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 476,783. The company has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.72 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina has a 12-month low of $7.04 and a 12-month high of $14.17. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.63.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina (NYSE:LOMA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $165.73 million for the quarter. Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina had a return on equity of 2.25% and a net margin of 2.97%. Research analysts forecast that Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,668,387 shares of the company's stock worth $60,456,000 after buying an additional 20,758 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Fourth Sail Capital LP now owns 2,404,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,133,000 after acquiring an additional 32,148 shares in the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 36.8% in the 4th quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 1,965,612 shares of the company's stock worth $25,455,000 after purchasing an additional 529,153 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 16.6% during the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,201,100 shares of the company's stock worth $9,044,000 after purchasing an additional 171,210 shares during the period. Finally, PointState Capital LP boosted its position in Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina by 245.3% during the fourth quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 1,130,732 shares of the company's stock worth $14,643,000 after purchasing an additional 803,289 shares during the period. 19.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Company Profile

Loma Negra Compañía Industrial Argentina SA is the leading cement producer in Argentina, with a history dating back to its founding in Buenos Aires in 1926. The company operates an integrated network of cement and lime plants, as well as quarries and ready-mix concrete facilities. Its operations encompass the extraction of limestone, the production of clinker, hydraulic cement and quicklime, and the distribution of aggregates and concrete for a wide range of construction projects.

The company's product portfolio serves residential, commercial, industrial and public infrastructure markets across Argentina.

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