National Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NKSH) Short Interest Update

National Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NKSH) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 61,600 shares, a decline of 19.9% from the November 30th total of 76,900 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 12,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.9 days.

National Bankshares Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of NKSH stock traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,545. The stock has a market cap of $180.78 million, a PE ratio of 19.60 and a beta of 0.59. National Bankshares has a 12-month low of $26.50 and a 12-month high of $35.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $30.56 and a 200 day moving average of $29.88.

National Bankshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This is an increase from National Bankshares’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.55. This represents a yield of 5%. National Bankshares’s payout ratio is currently 107.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on NKSH shares. Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded National Bankshares from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded National Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Bankshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of National Bankshares by 71.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,757 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in National Bankshares by 16.7% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,500 shares of the bank’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Eagle Ridge Investment Management acquired a new stake in National Bankshares during the third quarter worth about $211,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in National Bankshares by 290.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,487 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in National Bankshares in the second quarter valued at approximately $226,000. 29.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Bankshares Company Profile

National Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for the National Bank of Blacksburg that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, businesses, non-profits, and local governments. The company accepts interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.