Short Interest in Macro Bank Inc. (NYSE:BMA) Rises By 22.7%

Macro Bank Inc. (NYSE:BMA) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 439,682 shares, a growth of 22.7% from the March 15th total of 358,229 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 380,291 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Macro Bank

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMA. PointState Capital LP increased its holdings in Macro Bank by 266.9% during the 4th quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 857,488 shares of the bank’s stock worth $77,311,000 after purchasing an additional 623,755 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. bought a new position in Macro Bank during the 3rd quarter worth about $13,643,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Macro Bank by 100.7% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 575,206 shares of the bank’s stock worth $24,325,000 after purchasing an additional 288,614 shares in the last quarter. Fundamenta Capital S.A. bought a new position in Macro Bank during the 4th quarter worth about $17,130,000. Finally, Cape Ann Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Macro Bank by 66.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cape Ann Asset Management Ltd now owns 461,216 shares of the bank’s stock worth $19,505,000 after purchasing an additional 183,700 shares in the last quarter.

Macro Bank Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BMA traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $82.16. The stock had a trading volume of 528,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,989. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Macro Bank has a 52 week low of $38.30 and a 52 week high of $106.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $78.42 and a 200 day moving average of $80.15. The company has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.52.

Macro Bank (NYSE:BMA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The bank reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter. Macro Bank had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 6.85%. The business had revenue of $312.24 million during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Macro Bank will post 7.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Macro Bank Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 27th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a $0.4074 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. This is an increase from Macro Bank’s previous monthly dividend of $0.40. Macro Bank’s dividend payout ratio is currently 146.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on BMA. Zacks Research cut shares of Macro Bank from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Macro Bank from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Macro Bank in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Macro Bank from $111.00 to $98.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $102.60.

Macro Bank Company Profile

Macro Bank (NYSE: BMA) is the American depositary receipt program of Banco Macro SA, one of the largest privately owned banks in Argentina. Headquartered in Buenos Aires, the institution delivers a comprehensive suite of banking solutions to retail, corporate and agricultural customers across the country. Through its extensive branch network and digital platforms, Macro Bank aims to serve diverse client segments with tailored financial products and services.

The bank’s offerings span traditional deposit accounts—including checking, savings and term deposits—alongside payment and transaction services.