Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO) Short Interest Down 23.5% in February

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,240,000 shares, a decline of 23.5% from the February 13th total of 1,620,000 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arcos Dorados

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ARCO. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arcos Dorados in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,557,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. grew its position in Arcos Dorados by 26.8% during the 3rd quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 20,558 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $179,000 after acquiring an additional 4,342 shares during the last quarter. Managed Asset Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in Arcos Dorados during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,389,000. Sagil Capital LLP bought a new stake in Arcos Dorados during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,134,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Arcos Dorados by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 206,953 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,805,000 after acquiring an additional 22,954 shares during the last quarter. 55.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Arcos Dorados from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Arcos Dorados Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of ARCO traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $8.25. 49,065 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,277,418. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $7.85 and its 200-day moving average is $8.26. Arcos Dorados has a 52 week low of $7.02 and a 52 week high of $11.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.06. Arcos Dorados had a return on equity of 29.74% and a net margin of 3.25%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Arcos Dorados will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arcos Dorados Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. Arcos Dorados’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.33%.

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.