Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Central Puerto S.A. Sponsored ADR (NYSE:CEPU) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 600,607 shares, a growth of 80.7% from the September 15th total of 332,377 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 294,017 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Central Puerto Price Performance

Shares of CEPU traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $12.63. The company had a trading volume of 24,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 305,808. Central Puerto has a 1-year low of $8.57 and a 1-year high of $18.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.45.

Central Puerto Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 28th were given a dividend of $1.0758 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 28th. Central Puerto’s payout ratio is currently 29.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CEPU has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Central Puerto from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Bank of America cut their target price on Central Puerto from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Central Puerto in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Central Puerto currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $22.75.

Institutional Trading of Central Puerto

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CEPU. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Central Puerto in the 1st quarter valued at about $6,084,000. Absolute Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new stake in Central Puerto during the first quarter valued at $4,814,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Central Puerto by 285.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 132,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,235,000 after acquiring an additional 98,380 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Central Puerto during the first quarter valued at $1,349,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in Central Puerto during the 1st quarter worth about $271,000. Institutional investors own 2.97% of the company’s stock.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA (NYSE: CEPU) is an Argentine electric power generation company. Its principal business is the development, ownership, operation and maintenance of power generation facilities that supply electricity to Argentina’s wholesale electricity market and other customers under applicable market and contractual arrangements.

The company’s generation portfolio includes conventional thermal power plants, hydroelectric facilities and renewable energy projects. Its operations use technologies such as natural-gas-fired and other thermal generation, hydroelectric power, and wind energy, giving Central Puerto exposure to multiple segments of Argentina’s electricity industry.

Central Puerto was formed during the restructuring and privatization of Argentina’s electricity sector and has expanded its portfolio through acquisitions, new construction and investments in generation capacity.