Fred Joseph Deutsch Sells 10,000 Shares of First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) Stock

First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) EVP Fred Joseph Deutsch sold 10,000 shares of First Community stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.52, for a total value of $345,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,515.36. This trade represents a 35.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

First Community Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FCCO opened at $34.75 on Thursday. First Community Corporation has a 12-month low of $24.12 and a 12-month high of $35.74. The company has a market cap of $326.65 million, a PE ratio of 12.97 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $25.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.69 million. First Community had a return on equity of 14.03% and a net margin of 18.32%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that First Community Corporation will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

First Community Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a positive change from First Community’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 4th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio is 23.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Community in a report on Friday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First Community has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in First Community in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of First Community by 324.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,349 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of First Community in the 2nd quarter worth $99,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of First Community in the 2nd quarter worth $102,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Community in the second quarter valued at $182,000. Institutional investors own 61.25% of the company’s stock.

About First Community

First Community Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: FCCO) is the bank holding company for First Community Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a comprehensive range of financial services to individuals, small businesses and larger commercial clients. Its operations are focused on community banking, with an emphasis on personalized relationship management and local decision-making.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts, as well as consumer and commercial lending solutions.