First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Short Interest Update

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 30,900 shares, a growth of 71.7% from the February 28th total of 18,000 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 12,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in First Guaranty Bancshares by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 82,497 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its stake in First Guaranty Bancshares by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 13,661 shares of the bank’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. acquired a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth $149,000. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at about $296,000. 39.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Guaranty Bancshares Trading Down 2.6 %

NASDAQ FGBI traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $7.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,834. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.41 million, a P/E ratio of 9.32 and a beta of 0.42. 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 52-week low of $6.56 and a 52-week high of $15.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.57.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.13). First Guaranty Bancshares had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 5.62%. Research analysts expect that First Guaranty Bancshares will post 0.89 EPS for the current year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be paid a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. First Guaranty Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.94%.

First Guaranty Bancshares Company Profile

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.