Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) Short Interest Down 20.0% in December

Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 76,400 shares, a drop of 20.0% from the December 15th total of 95,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.8 days.

Middlefield Banc Trading Down 1.5 %

Middlefield Banc stock traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $25.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,737. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average of $29.45 and a 200-day moving average of $27.61. Middlefield Banc has a one year low of $20.61 and a one year high of $34.00. The stock has a market cap of $201.75 million, a PE ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.71.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.18). Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 13.31%. The company had revenue of $16.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.10 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Middlefield Banc will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Middlefield Banc Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Middlefield Banc’s dividend payout ratio is 45.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Middlefield Banc from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Middlefield Banc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Middlefield Banc

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Middlefield Banc by 104.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,117 shares of the bank’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Middlefield Banc in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Keeler & Nadler Financial Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc during the fourth quarter worth $282,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Middlefield Banc by 127.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,180 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 6,832 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Middlefield Banc by 5.1% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,536 shares of the bank’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.72% of the company’s stock.

Middlefield Banc Company Profile

Middlefield Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, small business owners, and retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, various consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers' checks.