Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Short Interest Update

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) experienced a notable decrease in short interest for the month of December. As of December 15th, the total short interest reached 2,100 shares, which is a drop of 16.0% from the previous total of 2,500 shares recorded on November 30th. Given the average daily trading volume of 1,600 shares, the current days-to-cover ratio stands at 1.3 days. At present, just 0.1% of the company's stock is sold short.

Sound Financial Bancorp Stock Performance

On Monday, shares of NASDAQ:SFBC increased by $2.31, bringing the price to $54.95. During this trading session, 1,499 shares changed hands, which is below the average volume of 2,741 shares. The company holds a market capitalization of $140.89 million, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 35.92 and a beta of 0.68. Over the past year, the stock has fluctuated between a low of $39.00 and a high of $55.99. The 50-day moving average for the stock is $53.83, while the 200-day moving average is $49.97. The company reports a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51 and both its current and quick ratios are at 1.12.

Sound Financial Bancorp Announces Dividend

Recently, the company disclosed its quarterly dividend, which was distributed on November 26th. Shareholders of record as of November 12th received a dividend payment of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was also November 12th. This results in an annualized dividend of $0.76, reflecting a yield of 1.38%. Current data shows that Sound Financial Bancorp has a payout ratio of 49.67%.

Insider Activity at Sound Financial Bancorp

There have been some notable insider activities at Sound Financial Bancorp. Director James E. Sweeney sold 592 shares of the company's stock on November 8th, with an average sale price of $52.57, totaling $31,121.44. Post-transaction, Sweeney holds 2,942 shares valued at approximately $154,660.94, marking a 16.75% reduction in his holdings. This transaction was reported in a document submitted to the SEC. Furthermore, a total of 1,026 shares have been sold by insiders within the last three months, and insiders hold around 12.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently adjusted their stakes in Sound Financial Bancorp. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings by 6.3% during the third quarter, now owning 23,885 shares worth $1,278,000 after adding 1,407 shares. Similarly, State Street Corp boosted its stake by 10.9%, acquiring an additional 500 shares for a total of 5,095 shares valued at $273,000. Arcus Capital Partners LLC also entered into a new investment position worth about $503,000 in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake by 7.2% during the second quarter, holding 16,811 shares valued at $739,000 after acquiring 1,122 shares in the third quarter. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own approximately 68.85% of Sound Financial Bancorp's stock.

About Sound Financial Bancorp

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc functions as the bank holding company for Sound Community Bank, providing a range of banking and financial services to both consumers and businesses. The bank offers various deposit products, including savings accounts, money market deposits, NOW accounts, demand deposits, and certificates of deposit.

Financial, Stocks, Market