Tim S.A. (NYSE:TIMB) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Tim S.A. (NYSE:TIMB) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,470,000 shares, an increase of 27.8% from the February 13th total of 1,150,000 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 587,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

TIM Price Performance

TIMB traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $15.25. 312,194 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 604,717. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. TIM has a one year low of $11.32 and a one year high of $18.78. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.25.

TIM (NYSE:TIMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.04). TIM had a return on equity of 11.91% and a net margin of 12.24%. As a group, research analysts predict that TIM will post 1.34 EPS for the current year.

TIM Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.0717 dividend. This represents a $0.29 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. TIM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TIMB. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of TIM by 137.7% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 707,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,187,000 after acquiring an additional 409,992 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of TIM by 90.2% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 38,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 18,418 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in shares of TIM in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,054,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TIM in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of TIM by 55.8% in the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 1,073,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,485,000 after purchasing an additional 384,500 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of TIM from $16.20 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of TIM from $16.00 to $16.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. UBS Group cut shares of TIM from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of TIM from $23.20 to $17.60 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th.

About TIM

TIM SA, a telecommunications company, provides mobile voice, data, and broadband services in Brazil. The company offers in mobile, landline, long-distance, and data transmission services. It also offers fixed ultra-broadband, fixed ultraband broadband, and digital content services. The company serves individuals and corporates, as well as small, medium, and large companies.