Short Interest in Hanmi Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HAFC) Increases By 27.0%

Hanmi Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HAFC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 452,900 shares, an increase of 27.0% from the February 28th total of 356,700 shares. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 202,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HAFC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (up from $24.00) on shares of Hanmi Financial in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $27.50 target price on shares of Hanmi Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hanmi Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.75.

Hanmi Financial Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of HAFC stock traded down $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $22.57. 34,026 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 200,871. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $681.52 million, a P/E ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 0.87. Hanmi Financial has a fifty-two week low of $14.45 and a fifty-two week high of $27.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $23.32 and a 200 day moving average of $22.96.

Hanmi Financial (NASDAQ:HAFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Hanmi Financial had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 8.64%. Equities analysts anticipate that Hanmi Financial will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Hanmi Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from Hanmi Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Hanmi Financial’s payout ratio is presently 52.68%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hanmi Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Hanmi Financial by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,154 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 3,367 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Hanmi Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,108,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Hanmi Financial by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 8,527 shares of the bank’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hanmi Financial during the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Hanmi Financial by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,112 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $404,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the last quarter. 88.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hanmi Financial Company Profile

Hanmi Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Hanmi Bank that provides business banking products and services in the United States. It offers various deposit products, including noninterest-bearing checking accounts, savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.