Pampa Energia S.A. (NYSE:PAM) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Pampa Energia S.A. (NYSE:PAM) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 217,236 shares, a drop of 35.2% from the July 30th total of 335,372 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 170,793 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Pampa Energia Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:PAM traded up $1.50 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $85.58. The company had a trading volume of 63,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,039. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.14, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $82.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 3.64 and a quick ratio of 3.23. Pampa Energia has a one year low of $54.95 and a one year high of $94.50.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 30th. The utilities provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $746.00 million during the quarter. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 23.58% and a return on equity of 15.33%. Equities research analysts expect that Pampa Energia will post 10.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pampa Energia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a report on Friday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Pampa Energia from $101.50 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Pampa Energia from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pampa Energia news, Director Marcos Marcelo Mindlin purchased 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.38 per share, for a total transaction of $507,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 22,180,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,970,400.96. This represents a 0.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last three months, insiders bought 2,860,619 shares of company stock valued at $9,591,974. 55.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PAM. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pampa Energia by 85.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 162,521 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,547,000 after acquiring an additional 74,841 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in Pampa Energia by 44.1% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 19,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,514,000 after purchasing an additional 6,005 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Pampa Energia by 21.7% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 57,153 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,965,000 after purchasing an additional 10,195 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in Pampa Energia in the second quarter worth $578,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Pampa Energia during the second quarter valued at $379,000. Institutional investors own 12.77% of the company’s stock.

Pampa Energia Company Profile

Pampa Energía SA is Argentina’s largest independent energy company, with integrated operations spanning electricity generation, transmission, distribution and oil and gas activities. The company holds a diversified portfolio of thermal and hydroelectric power plants, along with growing investments in renewable energy projects, serving both domestic and regional markets.

In its electricity business, Pampa Energía develops and operates plants that supply energy to Argentina’s power grid.