South Plains Financial (NASDAQ:SPFI) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s What Happened

South Plains Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPFIGet Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . 74,606 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the previous session’s volume of 114,815 shares.The stock last traded at $44.5940 and had previously closed at $44.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SPFI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target (up from $48.00) on shares of South Plains Financial in a report on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of South Plains Financial in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of South Plains Financial in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen raised South Plains Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded South Plains Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.60.

View Our Latest Stock Report on SPFI

South Plains Financial Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $42.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.91. The firm has a market cap of $863.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29 and a beta of 0.46.

South Plains Financial (NASDAQ:SPFIGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.02. South Plains Financial had a return on equity of 13.23% and a net margin of 20.79%.The business had revenue of $64.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 million. Equities analysts expect that South Plains Financial, Inc. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year.

South Plains Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 27th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 27th. This is a positive change from South Plains Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. South Plains Financial’s payout ratio is 19.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at South Plains Financial

In related news, Director James D. Stein sold 1,560 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $62,509.20. Following the sale, the director directly owned 342,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,738,881.04. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,204,340. 24.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of South Plains Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of South Plains Financial by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of South Plains Financial by 71.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in South Plains Financial by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in South Plains Financial by 0.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 89,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,956,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in South Plains Financial by 4.4% in the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 10,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. 54.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

South Plains Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

South Plains Financial, Inc is the bank holding company for South Plains Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Lubbock, Texas. The company operates as a full-service commercial bank, providing a broad spectrum of banking solutions to individuals, small businesses and agricultural clients. Its principal subsidiary, South Plains Bank, holds state and national banking charters and is subject to regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve and various state banking authorities.

The company’s product offerings include traditional deposit accounts such as checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as time deposits.

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