Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,140,000 shares, a drop of 5.7% from the March 15th total of 3,330,000 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,080,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Arcos Dorados from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Arcos Dorados has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $13.38.

Arcos Dorados Stock Up 0.2 %

Arcos Dorados stock opened at $10.64 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.26. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Arcos Dorados has a fifty-two week low of $7.77 and a fifty-two week high of $13.20.

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter. Arcos Dorados had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 43.72%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arcos Dorados will post 0.95 EPS for the current year.

Arcos Dorados Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 23rd. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Arcos Dorados’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arcos Dorados

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ARCO. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arcos Dorados by 60.6% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Arcos Dorados during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Arcos Dorados by 607.6% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,260 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 3,658 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Arcos Dorados by 256.2% during the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,640 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 4,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Arcos Dorados by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,358 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,902 shares in the last quarter. 55.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Arcos Dorados Company Profile

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc operates as a franchisee of McDonald's restaurants. It has the exclusive right to own, operate, and grant franchises of McDonald's restaurants in 20 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, the U.S.