Short Interest in Central Puerto S.A. (NYSE:CEPU) Drops By 6.0%

Central Puerto S.A. (NYSE:CEPU) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 560,500 shares, a decline of 6.0% from the December 15th total of 596,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 375,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Central Puerto Stock Performance

CEPU opened at $13.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Central Puerto has a twelve month low of $7.07 and a twelve month high of $16.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $14.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.21.

Central Puerto (NYSE:CEPU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 11th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $185.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $200.26 million. Central Puerto had a return on equity of 22.76% and a net margin of 56.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Central Puerto will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Central Puerto Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a — dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $0.3954 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Central Puerto’s previous — dividend of $0.07. Central Puerto’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Central Puerto

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in Central Puerto in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Central Puerto by 62.4% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Puerto during the third quarter worth about $121,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Central Puerto during the third quarter worth approximately $122,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Central Puerto in the third quarter valued at approximately $157,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.97% of the company’s stock.

Central Puerto Company Profile

Central Puerto SA engages in the electric power generation in Argentina. It operates through three segments: Electric Power Generation from Conventional Sources, Electric Power Generation from Renewable Sources, and Natural Gas Transport and Distribution. The company generates energy through thermal, hydroelectric, and wind farms.