SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

by · The Cerbat Gem

SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFGGet Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 120,101 shares, an increase of 29.4% from the November 30th total of 92,816 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 14,457 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.3 days. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 14,457 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.3 days.

SB Financial Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ SBFG opened at $22.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.28 million, a P/E ratio of 10.50 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. SB Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $17.10 and a fifty-two week high of $24.48.

SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFGGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $16.58 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.30 million. SB Financial Group had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 15.31%. On average, equities analysts forecast that SB Financial Group will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

SB Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.155 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from SB Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. SB Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on SBFG. Zacks Research upgraded SB Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of SB Financial Group in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on SBFG

Institutional Trading of SB Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of SB Financial Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 187,165 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,611,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of SB Financial Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 78,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in SB Financial Group by 131.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,791 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in SB Financial Group by 56.0% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,068 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in SB Financial Group by 82.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,157 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,328 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.67% of the company’s stock.

SB Financial Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

SB Financial Group, Inc (NASDAQ: SBFG) is the bank holding company for Star Financial Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company offers a broad portfolio of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, lending solutions, mortgage origination and servicing, and cash management services.

In its commercial banking division, SB Financial Group provides working capital loans, equipment financing, commercial real estate lending and treasury management solutions designed for small- and mid-sized businesses.

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