Marshall Wace LLP Increases Holdings in Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Banco de Chile (NYSE:BCH - Free Report) by 36.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 440,004 shares of the bank's stock after acquiring an additional 117,045 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.09% of Banco de Chile worth $9,979,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Banco de Chile by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,903 shares of the bank's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Banco de Chile during the 4th quarter valued at about $94,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Banco de Chile by 41.3% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,416 shares of the bank's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,291 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Banco de Chile by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,324 shares of the bank's stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in Banco de Chile by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 9,084 shares of the bank's stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 793 shares during the period. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BCH. StockNews.com cut shares of Banco de Chile from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Banco de Chile from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Banco de Chile Price Performance

Banco de Chile stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $30.68. The stock had a trading volume of 245,206 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,964. The firm's 50 day moving average is $27.03 and its 200 day moving average is $24.87. Banco de Chile has a one year low of $21.76 and a one year high of $30.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Banco de Chile Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $2.1037 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This represents a yield of 5.1%. Banco de Chile's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.55%.

Banco de Chile Company Profile

Banco de Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking services to customers in Chile. The company offers checking and debit accounts, debit and credit cards, and lines of credit; mortgage, consume, commercial, general purpose mortgage loans, and finance leases; and factoring services, mutual fund management, stock brokerage, foreign trade, payments and collections, insurance brokerage, including life and general insurance, as well as time deposits, savings instruments, and foreign currency services through branches under the Banco de Chile and Banco Edwards brands.