Middlefield Banc Upgraded to Hold by StockNews.com

On Saturday, StockNews.com made a notable change in their assessment of Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN). They've upgraded the bank's shares from a sell rating to a hold rating.

Middlefield Banc Trading Performance

On Friday, shares of MBCN opened at $28.00, reflecting a 3.1% rise. The bank holds a market capitalization of $225.88 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66, indicating a moderate valuation compared to earnings. Additionally, the stock has a beta of 0.69, suggesting lower volatility relative to the market. Middlefield Banc's fifty-day and two-hundred-day simple moving averages are currently at $27.70 and $24.71, respectively. Over the past year, the stock has seen a low of $20.61 and a high of $37.00. The company maintains a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, along with a current ratio and quick ratio both at 0.97, highlighting its liquidity position.

Dividend Information from Middlefield Banc

Recently, Middlefield Banc announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid out on September 13th. Shareholders who were on record as of August 30th received a dividend of $0.20 per share. Following this, the company’s annualized dividend stands at $0.80, yielding approximately 2.86%. Notably, the dividend payout ratio is 39.02%, indicating a sustainable approach to returning capital to shareholders.

Institutional Investors in Middlefield Banc

There have been several changes in the holdings of institutional investors regarding Middlefield Banc. For instance, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake by 48.9% during the first quarter and now holds 3,668 shares valued at approximately $88,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares recently. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. also acquired a new position in the bank during the third quarter, estimated at around $225,000. Furthermore, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings by 14.2% during the first quarter, bringing their total to 32,017 shares worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 3,989 shares. Vanguard Group Inc. also slightly increased their stake by 1.0% in the first quarter, owning now 386,196 shares valued at $9,222,000. Altogether, institutional investors hold 31.72% of Middlefield Banc's stock, signifying a strong interest from professional investors.

Overview of Middlefield Banc

Middlefield Banc Corp. acts as a bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company. It provides a variety of commercial banking services primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. Their offerings include checking and savings accounts, loans for businesses and real estate, and various consumer loan products.

Banking, Investment, Stocks