First Community Corporation (FCCO) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.17 on November 17th

First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, October 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share by the bank on Tuesday, November 17th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 3rd.

First Community has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 4 consecutive years. First Community has a payout ratio of 25.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect First Community to earn $3.29 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 20.7%.

First Community Stock Down 1.6%

First Community stock opened at $32.98 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $310.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.42. First Community has a 12 month low of $26.42 and a 12 month high of $35.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The bank reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $26.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.01 million. First Community had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 19.55%. Equities analysts predict that First Community will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FCCO. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of First Community from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 11th. Hovde Group raised their price target on First Community from $36.00 to $37.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Community in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating. According to MarketBeat.com, First Community presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.50.

About First Community

First Community Corporation is the bank holding company for First Community Bank, a community-focused financial institution headquartered in Lexington, South Carolina. The company serves individuals, families, businesses and nonprofit organizations primarily in the Midlands and Upstate regions of South Carolina.

Through First Community Bank, the company offers a range of banking products and services, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial real estate loans, consumer lending, business loans and lines of credit.