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

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,700 shares, a growth of 9.5% from the December 31st total of 11,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 11,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

First Guaranty Bancshares Stock Up 0.2 %

First Guaranty Bancshares stock traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $10.30. The stock had a trading volume of 21,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,632. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $11.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.85 million, a P/E ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.40. First Guaranty Bancshares has a 12-month low of $8.39 and a 12-month high of $15.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.13). First Guaranty Bancshares had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 5.62%. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Guaranty Bancshares will post 1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. First Guaranty Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 4.94%.

Institutional Trading of First Guaranty Bancshares

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FGBI. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 42,306 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 1,968 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $122,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in First Guaranty Bancshares by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,788 shares of the bank’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 5,070 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC bought a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $366,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $138,000. 39.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About First Guaranty Bancshares

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.