Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI) Short Interest Up 32.8% in March

30 Mar 2026, 21:16 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 536,799 shares, a growth of 32.8% from the February 26th total of 404,236 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 126,921 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.2 days. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Financial Institutions Price Performance

FISI traded up $0.16 on Monday, hitting $31.05. 78,668 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 161,414. Financial Institutions has a fifty-two week low of $20.97 and a fifty-two week high of $35.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $32.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $30.45. The stock has a market cap of $609.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.69.

Financial Institutions (NASDAQ:FISI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $64.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $62.99 million. Financial Institutions had a net margin of 19.81% and a return on equity of 12.62%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Financial Institutions will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Financial Institutions Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Financial Institutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Financial Institutions’s dividend payout ratio is 35.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on FISI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Financial Institutions from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Financial Institutions to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Financial Institutions from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $34.00) on shares of Financial Institutions in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Financial Institutions from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.00.

View Our Latest Report on Financial Institutions

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Financial Institutions

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Financial Institutions by 3.4% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,011 shares of the bank’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its stake in shares of Financial Institutions by 39.8% in the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,647 shares of the bank’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of Financial Institutions by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,607 shares of the bank’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the period. Palisades Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Financial Institutions by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 137,522 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,780,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Financial Institutions by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 168,746 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,260,000 after acquiring an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. 60.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Financial Institutions Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Financial Institutions, Inc (NASDAQ: FISI) is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide tax-advantaged income to shareholders. The company invests primarily in investment-grade municipal obligations issued by states, municipalities and government agencies across the United States. By focusing on high-credit-quality bonds, Financial Institutions aims to deliver current income that is exempt from federal income tax.