Short Interest in Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) Expands By 27.7%

Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 979,316 shares, an increase of 27.7% from the March 15th total of 767,086 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 467,602 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 2.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Activity

In other Farmers National Banc news, Director Edward Muransky purchased 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.74 per share, for a total transaction of $509,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 196,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,497,294.80. This represents a 25.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 41,672 shares of company stock worth $530,974. 3.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Farmers National Banc

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smithfield Trust Co bought a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Farmers National Banc by 9,065.7% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,208 shares of the bank’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 3,173 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Farmers National Banc by 49.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,519 shares of the bank’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Farmers National Banc by 220.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 4,827 shares of the bank’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 3,319 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 38.72% of the company’s stock.

Farmers National Banc Stock Up 1.9%

FMNB opened at $14.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $534.78 million, a P/E ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Farmers National Banc has a fifty-two week low of $12.12 and a fifty-two week high of $15.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $13.19 and its 200 day moving average is $13.45.

Farmers National Banc (NASDAQ:FMNB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $49.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.70 million. Farmers National Banc had a return on equity of 13.03% and a net margin of 19.50%. Research analysts expect that Farmers National Banc will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers National Banc Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. Farmers National Banc’s payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on FMNB shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Farmers National Banc from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers National Banc from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Farmers National Banc in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Farmers National Banc from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.50.

About Farmers National Banc

Farmers National Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Farmers National Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Ada, Ohio. The company provides a comprehensive suite of banking services through a network of branches serving rural and small-town markets across central Ohio. Its local decision-making model emphasizes personalized customer service and close ties to the communities it serves.

The company’s primary business activities include the origination of commercial loans, consumer installment loans, agricultural financing, and residential mortgages.