Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) Short Interest Down 31.9% in December

Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 32,679 shares, a decrease of 31.9% from the December 15th total of 48,018 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 13,769 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 13,769 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Middlefield Banc Trading Up 0.9%

MBCN stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $35.04. The company had a trading volume of 19,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,027. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.89. Middlefield Banc has a 12 month low of $22.74 and a 12 month high of $37.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $283.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.40.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $19.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.57 million. Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 9.79% and a net margin of 18.39%. As a group, analysts predict that Middlefield Banc will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Middlefield Banc Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Middlefield Banc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.18%.

Institutional Trading of Middlefield Banc

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Middlefield Banc by 102.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,512 shares of the bank’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its stake in shares of Middlefield Banc by 107.2% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 2,047 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Middlefield Banc by 650.4% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,769 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,400 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Middlefield Banc by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,504 shares of the bank’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in Middlefield Banc in the second quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Institutional investors own 31.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Middlefield Banc in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut shares of Middlefield Banc from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $35.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Middlefield Banc in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.00.

About Middlefield Banc

Middlefield Banc is a bank holding company headquartered in Middlefield, Ohio, operating through its subsidiary, Middlefield Banking Company. The firm offers a suite of deposit products, including checking, savings, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, alongside comprehensive cash management solutions designed for both individual consumers and businesses.

On the lending side, Middlefield Banc specializes in commercial and residential real estate loans, consumer installment loans and lines of credit.