First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 389,741 shares, an increase of 19.6% from the March 15th total of 325,793 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 100,017 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Community Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

First Community Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of FCBC stock opened at $43.31 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $826.35 million, a P/E ratio of 16.28 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $40.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.29. First Community Bancshares has a 52 week low of $31.21 and a 52 week high of $44.15.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.10. First Community Bancshares had a net margin of 26.32% and a return on equity of 10.17%. The firm had revenue of $43.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.20 million.

First Community Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. First Community Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.62%.

Institutional Trading of First Community Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 35,959 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 2,509.0% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 15,654 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 15,054 shares in the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of First Community Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at $229,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 73.8% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 36,250 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,223,000 after buying an additional 15,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 51.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 76,204 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after buying an additional 25,990 shares in the last quarter. 34.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Community Bancshares

First Community Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FCBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.

The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.