First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) Short Interest Down 62.3% in January

First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 66,746 shares, a decrease of 62.3% from the December 31st total of 176,821 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 53,909 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 53,909 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days.

First Community Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of First Community stock traded up $0.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $29.32. 50,973 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 69,719. First Community has a 12-month low of $19.46 and a 12-month high of $31.50. The stock has a market cap of $225.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.87 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $29.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.84.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $20.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.25 million. First Community had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 12.96%. As a group, analysts forecast that First Community will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. First Community’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on FCCO shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Community in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded First Community from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Community presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fourthstone LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Community by 193.6% during the second quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 559,185 shares of the bank’s stock worth $13,633,000 after acquiring an additional 368,747 shares in the last quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Community by 5.3% in the third quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC now owns 239,731 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,765,000 after buying an additional 12,053 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of First Community by 115.5% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 195,527 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,411,000 after purchasing an additional 104,796 shares during the period. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC lifted its position in First Community by 0.3% in the second quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 180,517 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,401,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Community by 103.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 174,732 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,260,000 after buying an additional 88,807 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.