Hantz Financial Services Inc. Has $1.41 Million Holdings in First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) by 23.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,347 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of First Bancorp worth $1,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in First Bancorp by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,104,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $67,166,000 after buying an additional 136,002 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in First Bancorp by 18.4% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 802,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,615,000 after buying an additional 124,992 shares in the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management bought a new stake in First Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,568,000. Chatham Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in First Bancorp by 131.4% during the 2nd quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 76,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,456,000 after buying an additional 43,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in First Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,275,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at First Bancorp

In related news, Director Suzanne S. Deferie sold 17,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.96, for a total value of $780,290.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 67,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,974,069.84. This represents a 20.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of First Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th.

First Bancorp Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of FBNC stock opened at $47.30 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $43.75 and its 200-day moving average is $39.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 1.02. First Bancorp has a 52-week low of $29.53 and a 52-week high of $50.34.

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70. The company had revenue of $144.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $97.00 million. First Bancorp had a net margin of 17.98% and a return on equity of 8.00%. Sell-side analysts predict that First Bancorp will post 2.72 EPS for the current year.

About First Bancorp

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, including certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts.