Short Interest in C&F Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CFFI) Decreases By 21.6%

C&F Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CFFI) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 25,700 shares, a drop of 21.6% from the March 15th total of 32,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Transactions at C&F Financial

In other news, CEO Mark A. Fox sold 1,032 shares of C&F Financial stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $83,592.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 11,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $891,405. The trade was a 8.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of C&F Financial by 234.7% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of C&F Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of C&F Financial during the 4th quarter valued at about $230,000. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in C&F Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in C&F Financial during the fourth quarter worth $345,000. 37.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised C&F Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday.

C&F Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ CFFI traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $60.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,114. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.31 million, a P/E ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 0.32. C&F Financial has a 52-week low of $34.95 and a 52-week high of $89.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter. C&F Financial had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 8.97%.

C&F Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from C&F Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. C&F Financial’s payout ratio is 30.51%.

C&F Financial Company Profile

C&F Financial Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individuals and businesses. It operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Mortgage Banking and Consumer Finance. The Community Banking segment provides checking and savings deposit accounts, business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity, and installment loans.