Short Interest in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX) Rises By 20.9%

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 225,200 shares, an increase of 20.9% from the March 15th total of 186,200 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 133,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BLX. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the fourth quarter worth about $74,000. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 14,497 shares of the bank's stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 779 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 4,087.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 26,462 shares of the bank's stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 25,830 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the fourth quarter valued at $1,603,000. 19.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Stock Up 1.2 %

BLX stock traded up $0.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $38.73. The stock had a trading volume of 109,268 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,716. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73. The company has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 0.88. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a one year low of $27.37 and a one year high of $42.88. The company's 50 day moving average is $37.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.10.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The bank reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $78.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.84 million. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 24.29%. Equities research analysts forecast that Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. will post 4.6 EPS for the current year.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.45%. This is a boost from Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.'s payout ratio is presently 44.64%.

About Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It offers bilateral loans; structured loans including syndicated and clubbed, such as acquisition and pre-export financing, A/B loan financing, bridge loans, and liability management; and project financing.