First Community Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) Short Interest Up 31.5% in March

First Community Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 137,000 shares, an increase of 31.5% from the February 28th total of 104,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 37,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

First Community Bankshares Trading Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ:FCBC traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $38.23. 38,767 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 35,282. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.78 and a 200 day moving average of $42.48. First Community Bankshares has a twelve month low of $31.00 and a twelve month high of $49.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $700.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.46 and a beta of 0.52.

First Community Bankshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter. First Community Bankshares had a net margin of 27.81% and a return on equity of 10.35%.

First Community Bankshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. First Community Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.66%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community Bankshares

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of First Community Bankshares by 84.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 620 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in First Community Bankshares in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in First Community Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $137,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of First Community Bankshares by 62.3% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,509 shares of the bank’s stock worth $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,347 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Community Bankshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Institutional investors own 34.95% of the company’s stock.

First Community Bankshares Company Profile

First Community Bankshares, Inc operates as the financial holding company for First Community Bank that provides various banking products and services. It offers demand deposit accounts, savings and money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement plans; and commercial, consumer real estate, and consumer and other loans.