Stocks

First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) Short Interest Update

Published March 31, 2025

First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA - Get Free Report) experienced a notable rise in short interest during March. As of March 15th, the total short interest reached 79,600 shares, marking a substantial increase of 65.5% from the previous month’s total of 48,100 shares as of February 28th. Given the average daily trading volume of 55,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is calculated at 1.4 days. At this time, short sales account for approximately 0.4% of the company's outstanding shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

In other news, StockNews.com lowered its rating for First Bank from a "buy" to a "hold" in a research note issued on January 27th.

View Our Latest Analysis on First Bank

First Bank Price Performance

During trading on Friday, NASDAQ:FRBA saw a decrease of $0.16 and closed at $14.67. A total of 42,639 shares were traded, slightly surpassing the typical trading volume of 47,716. The company’s fifty-day moving average stands at $14.94, while its 200-day moving average is $14.70. Over the past year, First Bank has reached a low of $11.20 and a high of $15.87. The bank's market capitalization is currently $287.09 million, with a P/E ratio of 8.78 and a beta of 0.94. Financial ratios indicate a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

First Bank last released its quarterly earnings report on January 23rd, where it posted earnings of $0.42 per share, exceeding analysts’ expectations of $0.39 by $0.03. The bank achieved a net margin of 18.41% and a return on equity of 11.06%. Analysts project that First Bank will report an earnings per share (EPS) of 1.78 for the current fiscal year.

First Bank Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.06, which was paid on February 21st to shareholders on record as of February 7th, marking an annualized dividend of $0.24 and a dividend yield of 1.64%. First Bank's dividend payout ratio is 14.37%.

Institutional Trading of First Bank

Multiple hedge funds and institutional investors have adjusted their positions in FRBA. For instance, Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new position worth approximately $31,000 in the fourth quarter. Likewise, FNY Investment Advisers LLC also took a new stake valued at $98,000 during this period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its ownership by 26.7%, now holding 9,419 shares worth $133,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC entered into a new investment call worth about $170,000 while Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings by 27.6%, owning 12,452 shares valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 2,697 shares during the fourth quarter. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds hold 64.86% of First Bank’s stock.

About First Bank

First Bank offers a range of banking products and services tailored for small to mid-sized businesses and individual clients. The bank's services include various types of deposit accounts such as non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, in addition to commercial checking accounts.