Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) shares saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 58,937 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 11% from the previous session’s volume of 52,912 shares.The stock last traded at $70.8760 and had previously closed at $70.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RBCAA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Republic Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Republic Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.00.

Republic Bancorp Trading Up 0.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.55. The business’s 50-day moving average is $70.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.30.

Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.13). Republic Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.27% and a net margin of 25.19%.The firm had revenue of $94.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.50 million.

Republic Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.495 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Republic Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Republic Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Republic Bancorp during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in Republic Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Republic Bancorp by 2,561.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth $73,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.37% of the company’s stock.

About Republic Bancorp

Republic Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Republic Bank & Trust Company. The company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services tailored to individuals, small businesses and middle‐market clients. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, treasury and cash-management services, mortgage financing, SBA lending and wealth management solutions. Republic Bancorp also supports specialized financing needs through equipment leasing and small business advisory services.

Republic Bancorp’s branch network spans key markets in the U.S.