Short Interest in Woori Bank (NYSE:WF) Expands By 23.0%

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 23.0% to 97,955 shares as of March 31, with a days-to-cover ratio of 0.7 days and effectively 0.0% of shares reported sold short.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Zacks and Wall Street Zen cut Woori Bank to a Hold, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a Buy, and the consensus on MarketBeat is a "Moderate Buy" (one Buy, one Hold).
• The stock traded up to $72.44 (market cap $17.72B, P/E 8.35); Woori Bank missed quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.86 vs. $0.90 and reported revenue of $367.58M vs. a $1.84B consensus.

Woori Bank (NYSE:WF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 97,955 shares, a growth of 23.0% from the March 15th total of 79,663 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 140,475 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WF shares. Zacks Research cut Woori Bank from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Woori Bank from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woori Bank in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woori Bank presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Woori Bank Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:WF traded up $1.39 during trading on Thursday, hitting $72.44. The company had a trading volume of 93,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 97,970. The stock has a market cap of $17.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.13. Woori Bank has a one year low of $34.33 and a one year high of $84.71. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Woori Bank (NYSE:WF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The bank reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $367.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. Woori Bank had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 8.74%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Woori Bank will post 8.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woori Bank

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Woori Bank by 37.6% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,084 shares of the bank's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Woori Bank by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,300 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,252,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Woori Bank by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 8,174 shares of the bank's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments bought a new stake in shares of Woori Bank in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $270,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woori Bank in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,954,000. 3.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Woori Bank

Woori Bank Co, Ltd. NYSE: WF is a South Korean commercial bank and the principal banking unit of Woori Financial Group. Established in 2001 through the merger of Hanvit Bank and Peace Bank, the institution traces its roots to earlier banking entities that date back to the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. Headquartered in Seoul, Woori Bank operates under a universal banking model, serving both individual customers and corporate clients with a comprehensive suite of financial products and services.

The bank's core operations encompass retail banking, corporate and investment banking, treasury services, and wealth management.

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.