First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 18,000 shares, a growth of 32.4% from the February 13th total of 13,600 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 11,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FGBI. LPL Financial LLC purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $400,000. Fourthstone LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $366,000. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $296,000. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $172,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $149,000. 39.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Guaranty Bancshares Stock Performance

FGBI traded up $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.90. 3,240 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,205. First Guaranty Bancshares has a 1 year low of $6.55 and a 1 year high of $15.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.28 million, a P/E ratio of 8.52 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.73.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.13). First Guaranty Bancshares had a return on equity of 5.62% and a net margin of 5.04%. As a group, research analysts predict that First Guaranty Bancshares will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Company Profile

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc operates as the holding company for First Guaranty Bank that provides commercial banking services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products, including personal and business checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as time deposits to consumers, small businesses, and municipalities.