Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Short Interest Up 27.3% in February

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) saw a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 44,134 shares, a growth of 27.3% from the February 12th total of 34,671 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,709 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.4 days. Currently, 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,709 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.4 days.

Sound Financial Bancorp Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:SFBC opened at $41.20 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 52-week low of $41.06 and a 52-week high of $51.99. The stock has a market cap of $105.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $43.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.51.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The company had revenue of $9.53 million during the quarter.

Sound Financial Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Sound Financial Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFBC. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,402 shares of the bank’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Sound Financial Bancorp by 64.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,667 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Sound Financial Bancorp by 40.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,628 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Sound Financial Bancorp by 168.3% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,387 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Sound Financial Bancorp by 4,863.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 943 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.85% of the company’s stock.

About Sound Financial Bancorp

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of Sound Community Bank, a community‐oriented financial institution headquartered in University Place, Washington. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a broad array of banking and financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients throughout the Puget Sound region. Emphasizing relationship banking, Sound Financial Bancorp seeks to support local economic development by offering personalized service and community engagement.

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