First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) Director Katharine Caldwell Nevin Acquires 231 Shares of Stock

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNCGet Free Report) Director Katharine Caldwell Nevin acquired 231 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $64.23 per share, for a total transaction of $14,837.13. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,267.62. This trade represents a 26.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

First Bancorp Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of First Bancorp stock opened at $62.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.54. First Bancorp has a 1-year low of $45.96 and a 1-year high of $66.78.

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNCGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $127.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $126.07 million. First Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 22.12%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that First Bancorp will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

First Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. First Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.81%.

Institutional Trading of First Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FBNC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $380,347,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in First Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,055,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in First Bancorp by 34.1% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 974,221 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $54,897,000 after acquiring an additional 247,859 shares during the last quarter. First Bancorp Inc ME acquired a new position in shares of First Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,711,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its stake in First Bancorp by 176.4% during the first quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 429,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,220,000 after buying an additional 274,289 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FBNC shares. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on First Bancorp from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of First Bancorp from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on First Bancorp from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Brean Capital initiated coverage on shares of First Bancorp in a research report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.75 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.94.

Read Our Latest Research Report on First Bancorp

About First Bancorp

(Get Free Report)

First Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Through its principal subsidiary, First Bank, the company provides community banking services to individuals, businesses and institutions.

First Bank offers a range of financial products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and commercial loans, residential mortgages, and agricultural lending. Its services also include online and mobile banking, treasury management, wealth management and other financial solutions for business and personal customers.

Founded in 1983, First Bancorp has expanded its banking operations across North Carolina and neighboring markets in South Carolina and Virginia.

Further Reading

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