Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) Short Interest Up 27.4% in April

Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 189,816 shares, an increase of 27.4% from the March 31st total of 148,972 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 95,707 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Republic Bancorp by 11.0% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 265,298 shares of the bank’s stock worth $19,168,000 after purchasing an additional 26,319 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Republic Bancorp by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 218,872 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Republic Bancorp by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 123,097 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,492,000 after buying an additional 6,189 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Republic Bancorp by 651.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 78,077 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,708,000 after buying an additional 67,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Republic Bancorp by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 73,735 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,087,000 after buying an additional 6,189 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.37% of the company’s stock.

Republic Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of RBCAA traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $76.46. 51,791 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 59,693. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $71.28 and a 200-day moving average of $70.47. Republic Bancorp has a one year low of $63.97 and a one year high of $78.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.80 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The bank reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.63. Republic Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 25.22%.The company had revenue of $114.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $96.60 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on RBCAA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Republic Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Republic Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Republic Bancorp

Republic Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Republic Bank & Trust Company. The company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services tailored to individuals, small businesses and middle‐market clients. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, treasury and cash-management services, mortgage financing, SBA lending and wealth management solutions. Republic Bancorp also supports specialized financing needs through equipment leasing and small business advisory services.

Republic Bancorp’s branch network spans key markets in the U.S.