Short Interest in Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) Declines By 56.5%

Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 97,706 shares, a decrease of 56.5% from the January 15th total of 224,408 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 33,882 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 33,882 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Activity at Norwood Financial

In other Norwood Financial news, Director Joseph W. Carroll bought 4,000 shares of Norwood Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $28.13 per share, with a total value of $112,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 41,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,167,479.39. This represents a 10.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James Shook acquired 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $28.80 per share, with a total value of $100,800.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,904. This represents a 72.46% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 9,700 shares of company stock worth $274,770. 9.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwood Financial

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Norwood Financial by 130.7% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Norwood Financial by 293.6% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,321 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Norwood Financial by 144.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Norwood Financial by 68.9% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Norwood Financial in the fourth quarter worth approximately $114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NWFL. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Norwood Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Zacks Research downgraded Norwood Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Norwood Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Stephens set a $33.00 target price on Norwood Financial and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Norwood Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.00.

Norwood Financial Trading Up 1.2%

NWFL stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Thursday, hitting $31.51. The company had a trading volume of 50,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 41,243. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $291.91 million, a P/E ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.16. Norwood Financial has a 52-week low of $21.25 and a 52-week high of $32.23.

Norwood Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Norwood Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Norwood Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.81%.

Norwood Financial Company Profile

Norwood Financial Corporation is the bank holding company for Norwood Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 2010, the company oversees a network of branch offices serving suburban and metropolitan communities in eastern Massachusetts. Norwood Financial’s mission emphasizes personalized service, local decision-making and a commitment to supporting neighborhood growth.

The company’s primary business activities encompass a full suite of personal and commercial banking products and services.