First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC – Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $49.39 and last traded at $49.4290, with a volume of 200 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $48.96.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
FCBC has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First Community Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of First Community Bancshares to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of First Community Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.
View Our Latest Research Report on FCBC
First Community Bancshares Stock Performance
First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $92.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.20 million. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 28.84%. As a group, research analysts expect that First Community Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.
First Community Bancshares Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This is a positive change from First Community Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. First Community Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 39.12%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, President Gary R. Mills sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.67, for a total transaction of $166,845.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 5,798 shares in the company, valued at $276,390.66. This represents a 37.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community Bancshares
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FCBC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 122.4% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 97,773 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,298,000 after acquiring an additional 53,804 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of First Community Bancshares during the third quarter worth about $1,366,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 3.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,052,046 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,611,000 after purchasing an additional 33,184 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 51.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 76,204 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,570,000 after purchasing an additional 25,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in First Community Bancshares during the 1st quarter valued at about $976,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.95% of the company’s stock.
First Community Bancshares Company Profile
First Community Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FCBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.
The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.
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