Short Interest in FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW) Declines By 32.1%

FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW) saw a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 144,784 shares, a decline of 32.1% from the August 15th total of 213,209 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,651 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.4 days. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

FS Bancorp Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of FSBW stock opened at $43.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $325.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.63. FS Bancorp has a 52-week low of $36.66 and a 52-week high of $45.85.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The business had revenue of $5.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.00 million. FS Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 14.88%. Research analysts anticipate that FS Bancorp will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FS Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. FS Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on FSBW shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of FS Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of FS Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of FS Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Brean Capital downgraded shares of FS Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $45.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 27th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FS Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other FS Bancorp news, Director Terri Degner sold 1,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.72, for a total transaction of $72,367.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,916. The trade was a 43.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FS Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in FS Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $21,213,000. De Lisle Partners LLP bought a new stake in FS Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $16,956,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in FS Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $2,150,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FS Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,793,000. Finally, Siena Capital Partners GP LLC boosted its position in FS Bancorp by 156.1% during the fourth quarter. Siena Capital Partners GP LLC now owns 52,441 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after buying an additional 31,965 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.88% of the company’s stock.

FS Bancorp Company Profile

FS Bancorp, Inc is the bank holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington, a community bank headquartered in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. The company serves individuals, families, businesses and other organizations primarily through banking operations in Washington state.

Through 1st Security Bank, FS Bancorp offers deposit products, residential and commercial real estate loans, construction and land development financing, commercial and industrial loans, consumer lending and other traditional banking services.