Short Interest in SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) Decreases By 34.5%

SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) experienced a notable drop in its short interest during December. As of December 15th, the total short interest was recorded at 3,800 shares, representing a significant decline of 34.5% from the 5,800 shares reported at the end of November. With an average trading volume of 19,200 shares, the current short-interest ratio is calculated to be 0.2 days. Presently, only 0.1% of the company's shares are sold short.

SB Financial Group Stock Performance

On Monday, shares of SB Financial Group fell by 2.5%, dropping $0.54 to a price of $20.94. A total of 11,736 shares were traded during this session, exceeding the average trading volume of 9,352 shares. The company's current market capitalization stands at $139.29 million, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03 and a beta value of 0.77. Furthermore, SB Financial Group has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.91, and a relatively low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock is currently positioned with a 50-day moving average at $20.62 and a 200-day moving average at $17.97. Over the past year, the stock has fluctuated between a low of $13.01 and a high of $23.00.

Dividend Announcement

Recently, SB Financial Group declared a quarterly dividend, which was distributed on November 22nd. Shareholders of record as of November 8th received a dividend of $0.145, an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This raises the annualized dividend to $0.58, providing a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date for this payout was also November 8th. It is worth noting that the company maintains a dividend payout ratio (DPR) of 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings and Growth Projections

In a separate development, StockNews.com began coverage on SB Financial Group shares in a research note released on September 21st, assigning a “hold” rating for the stock, suggesting a cautious but stable outlook.

Institutional Investor Activity

The stock involved various activities from hedge funds and institutional investors recently. For instance, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in SB Financial Group by 325.1% in the third quarter, now owning 1,271 shares valued at approximately $26,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares in the recent quarter. Additionally, Princeton Capital Management LLC entered a new position in the company during the second quarter, with an investment amounting to about $146,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings by 5.2% in the third quarter, bringing its total to 37,762 shares valued at approximately $776,000. Lastly, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake by 3.5%, now holding 71,076 shares valued at about $1,462,000. Overall, institutional investors own around 66.67% of SB Financial Group's stock.

About SB Financial Group

SB Financial Group, Inc. functions as a financial holding company for the State Bank and Trust Company, offering a wide array of commercial banking and wealth management services. These services cater primarily to individual and corporate clients located in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. The services include checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, as well as various types of loans such as commercial, consumer, agricultural, and residential mortgage loans.

Stock, Investment, Finance