Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) Short Interest Update

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 184,425 shares, a drop of 19.9% from the January 15th total of 230,260 shares. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 47,155 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 47,155 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.9 days. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Peter Joseph Johnson sold 4,192 shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total value of $96,667.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 48,873 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,011.38. This trade represents a 7.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth M. Walsh sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.47, for a total transaction of $224,700.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 92,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,073,082.20. The trade was a 9.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 17,547 shares of company stock worth $398,902 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Bancorp Montana

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EBMT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 60.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,757 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 355.3% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,263 shares of the bank’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,766 shares during the last quarter. 35.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Price Performance

EBMT traded down $0.12 during trading on Monday, hitting $22.54. 37,086 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,795. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a twelve month low of $15.10 and a twelve month high of $23.75. The company has a market cap of $179.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $20.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.16.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 11.67%.The firm had revenue of $24.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.89 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.145 per share. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Eagle Bancorp Montana’s payout ratio is presently 30.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on EBMT shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana in a research note on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Eagle Bancorp Montana from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.00.

About Eagle Bancorp Montana

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Helena, Montana, that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Eagle Bank & Trust. The company offers a range of community banking services to individuals, small businesses and governmental entities. Its core offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage financing and treasury management.

Through Eagle Bank & Trust, the company provides checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, online and mobile banking platforms, ATM access and cash management solutions designed to meet the needs of local customers.