Short Interest in PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS) Drops By 13.2%

PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 17,309,545 shares, a drop of 13.2% from the January 29th total of 19,943,690 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,412,735 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Approximately 5.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 5.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,412,735 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upped their target price on PagSeguro Digital from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on PagSeguro Digital from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of PagSeguro Digital in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PagSeguro Digital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $11.86.

PagSeguro Digital Trading Up 3.3%

PagSeguro Digital stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.35. The company had a trading volume of 1,325,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,000,007. PagSeguro Digital has a 12 month low of $7.16 and a 12 month high of $12.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $10.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.90. The company has a market capitalization of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.38.

PagSeguro Digital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 28th. PagSeguro Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PagSeguro Digital

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in PagSeguro Digital by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 7,831,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,445,000 after acquiring an additional 485,575 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its holdings in shares of PagSeguro Digital by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 6,764,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,209,000 after acquiring an additional 1,363,223 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of PagSeguro Digital by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 6,610,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,729,000 after acquiring an additional 3,435,211 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of PagSeguro Digital by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,617,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,514,000 after purchasing an additional 139,227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Polunin Capital Partners Ltd lifted its position in PagSeguro Digital by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Polunin Capital Partners Ltd now owns 4,450,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,858,000 after purchasing an additional 16,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.88% of the company’s stock.

About PagSeguro Digital

PagSeguro Digital Ltd. is a Brazil-based financial technology company that specializes in digital payment solutions for merchants and consumers. Through its online platform and a suite of physical point-of-sale devices, the company enables businesses of all sizes to accept credit and debit cards, process e-commerce transactions, and manage payments via QR codes and digital wallets. In addition to payment acceptance, PagSeguro offers prepaid accounts, funds transfers, and working-capital credit lines designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises.

The company’s product portfolio includes portable card readers, countertop terminals, and mobile point-of-sale devices that connect via Bluetooth or cellular networks.