Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) Short Interest Update

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 144,240 shares, an increase of 36.3% from the December 15th total of 105,863 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 15,088 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 9.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 15,088 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 9.6 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Finward Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.00.

Finward Bancorp Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:FNWD traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $35.91. The stock had a trading volume of 44,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,392. Finward Bancorp has a one year low of $26.12 and a one year high of $39.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $155.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80 and a beta of 0.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.62 and its 200-day moving average is $32.76.

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.41. Finward Bancorp had a return on equity of 5.27% and a net margin of 8.01%.The company had revenue of $15.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Finward Bancorp will post 0.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Finward Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. Finward Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 25.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Finward Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FNWD. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Finward Bancorp by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 403,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,955,000 after acquiring an additional 51,038 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Finward Bancorp by 99.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 81,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,256,000 after purchasing an additional 40,778 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new position in Finward Bancorp in the second quarter valued at $1,117,000. OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new stake in Finward Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $442,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Finward Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $213,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.59% of the company’s stock.

About Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ: FNWD) is the bank holding company for Finward Bank, a community-focused financial institution serving businesses and individuals across Pennsylvania and Delaware. Through a network of full-service branches and a robust digital banking platform, Finward Bank delivers a range of personal and commercial banking solutions designed to meet the needs of local customers.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking accounts, savings accounts and time deposits, as well as a variety of lending solutions.