Short Interest in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE:BLX) Decreases By 60.2%

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S.A. (NYSE:BLX) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 164,215 shares, a decrease of 60.2% from the February 12th total of 412,436 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 164,141 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 164,141 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLX. LSV Asset Management raised its position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 2.4% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,213,835 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,918,000 after purchasing an additional 28,375 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 4.8% during the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,864 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,648,000 after purchasing an additional 5,600 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 46,968 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 4,843 shares in the last quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,988 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 4,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior during the 2nd quarter valued at about $273,000. Institutional investors own 19.47% of the company’s stock.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Stock Up 0.8%

BLX stock opened at $48.19 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $47.59 and its 200 day moving average is $46.04. The stock has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.89 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior has a 1-year low of $31.14 and a 1-year high of $51.99.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (NYSE:BLX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The bank reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior had a net margin of 27.11% and a return on equity of 14.85%. The business had revenue of $88.80 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior will post 4.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.6875 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. This is an increase from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior’s payout ratio is presently 45.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on BLX shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior SA, commonly known as BLADEx and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BLX, is a multilateral financial institution dedicated to promoting foreign trade and regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Headquartered in Panama City, the bank provides specialized trade finance solutions to corporate clients and financial institutions, helping to facilitate cross-border transactions across key markets in the region. Its services encompass import and export financing, supply chain solutions, project and structured finance, as well as treasury and risk management products.

Established in 1977 by a consortium of 20 Latin American and Caribbean governments in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), BLADEx has a mandate to support economic development through trade facilitation.