First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) Short Interest Update

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 325,793 shares, a growth of 30.6% from the February 26th total of 249,507 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 79,004 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days. Currently, 1.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FCBC. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First Community Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of First Community Bancshares from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Community Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

First Community Bancshares Price Performance

FCBC remained flat at $41.19 during trading hours on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 85,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 93,630. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $38.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $785.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49 and a beta of 0.57. First Community Bancshares has a one year low of $31.21 and a one year high of $42.15.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $43.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.20 million. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.17% and a net margin of 26.32%.

First Community Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. First Community Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community Bancshares

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 122.4% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 97,773 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,298,000 after acquiring an additional 53,804 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new position in First Community Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth $1,366,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in First Community Bancshares by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,052,046 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,611,000 after purchasing an additional 33,184 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 51.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 76,204 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,570,000 after buying an additional 25,990 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of First Community Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth $976,000. 34.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About First Community Bancshares

First Community Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FCBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.

The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.