Short Interest in Pampa Energía S.A. (NYSE:PAM) Declines By 16.6%

Pampa Energía S.A. (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 195,500 shares, a drop of 16.6% from the September 30th total of 234,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 228,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.4% of the company's stock are short sold.

Pampa Energía Price Performance

PAM stock traded down $1.72 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $66.89. 248,819 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 260,228. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.82. The company has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.89. Pampa Energía has a one year low of $32.91 and a one year high of $69.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Pampa Energía (NYSE:PAM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.44. Pampa Energía had a net margin of 20.96% and a return on equity of 12.59%. The company had revenue of $500.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.17 million. Equities analysts forecast that Pampa Energía will post 8.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on PAM. StockNews.com raised Pampa Energía from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup upgraded Pampa Energía from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $51.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 3rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Pampa Energía from $62.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Pampa Energía from $47.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pampa Energía currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $57.75.

Institutional Trading of Pampa Energía

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Pampa Energía by 158.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 413 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pampa Energía by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 5,075 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Pampa Energía by 32.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pampa Energía by 1.7% during the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 23,308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pampa Energía by 26.6% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 2,501 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the period. 12.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Pampa Energía

Pampa Energía SA operates as an integrated power company in Argentina. The company operates through Electricity Generation, Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, and Holding and Other Business segments. It generates electricity through thermal plants, hydroelectric plants, and wind farms with a 5,332 megawatt (MW) installed capacity.