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

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth $122,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares in the second quarter worth about $138,000. Fourthstone LLC bought a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $366,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in First Guaranty Bancshares by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 40,338 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 2,010 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,788 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 5,070 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.52% of the company’s stock.

First Guaranty Bancshares Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of FGBI traded up $0.02 during midday trading 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 is $11.80 and its 200 day moving average is $11.06. The firm has a market cap of $128.85 million, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. First Guaranty Bancshares has a 1 year low of $8.39 and a 1 year high of $15.25.

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

First Guaranty Bancshares Cuts Dividend

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

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.