Compañía Cervecerías Unidas S.A. (NYSE:CCU) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Compañía Cervecerías Unidas S.A. (NYSE:CCU) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,370,000 shares, an increase of 21.2% from the December 15th total of 1,130,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 169,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on CCU shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Compañía Cervecerías Unidas from $10.50 to $9.40 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Scotiabank raised shares of Compañía Cervecerías Unidas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.03.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Compañía Cervecerías Unidas by 37.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 79,367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $903,000 after acquiring an additional 21,630 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Compañía Cervecerías Unidas by 82.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 166,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,897,000 after acquiring an additional 75,147 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Compañía Cervecerías Unidas by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 15,741,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,143,000 after purchasing an additional 184,970 shares in the last quarter. Genesis Investment Management LLP boosted its holdings in Compañía Cervecerías Unidas by 33.9% in the 3rd quarter. Genesis Investment Management LLP now owns 1,590,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,495,000 after purchasing an additional 402,593 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Compañía Cervecerías Unidas by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 31,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 13,668 shares in the last quarter. 24.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Compañía Cervecerías Unidas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CCU traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.63. 277,067 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 174,679. Compañía Cervecerías Unidas has a 12 month low of $10.00 and a 12 month high of $13.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.89.

Compañía Cervecerías Unidas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 1st were paid a $0.1498 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. This is an increase from Compañía Cervecerías Unidas’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.10. This represents a yield of 2.4%. Compañía Cervecerías Unidas’s payout ratio is 38.67%.

Compañía Cervecerías Unidas Company Profile

Compañía Cervecerías Unidas SA operates as a beverage company in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The company operates through three segments: Chile, International Business, and Wine. It produces and sells alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer under proprietary and licensed brands, as well as distributes Pernod Ricard products in non-supermarket retail stores.