Affinity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFBI) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Affinity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFBI) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 11,802 shares, an increase of 102.4% from the March 15th total of 5,831 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 37,172 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Affinity Bancshares by 49.2% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 546,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,778,000 after purchasing an additional 180,121 shares during the period. Maltese Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Affinity Bancshares by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC now owns 56,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,152,000 after buying an additional 2,959 shares during the period. Beartown Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Affinity Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $623,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Affinity Bancshares by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 25,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 3,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salzhauer Michael acquired a new stake in shares of Affinity Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $276,000. 39.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Affinity Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Affinity Bancshares has an average rating of “Hold”.

Affinity Bancshares Price Performance

Affinity Bancshares stock opened at $22.31 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $135.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.15. Affinity Bancshares has a 52-week low of $17.50 and a 52-week high of $22.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $20.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.00.

Affinity Bancshares (NASDAQ:AFBI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter. Affinity Bancshares had a net margin of 15.74% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $8.57 million during the quarter.

Affinity Bancshares announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 7th that permits the company to buyback $300,000.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 0.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

About Affinity Bancshares

Affinity Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company whose primary subsidiary, Affinity Bank, offers a full range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses. Founded to serve the evolving banking needs of its communities, the company provides demand, savings and time deposit accounts, along with treasury management and online banking capabilities. It caters to retail and commercial clients seeking deposit, cash management and payment solutions.

On the lending side, Affinity Bank extends credit through commercial real estate loans, small business administration loans and traditional commercial lines of credit.