FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday.

FS Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FSBW opened at $34.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $271.09 million, a PE ratio of 7.61 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. FS Bancorp has a 52-week low of $26.08 and a 52-week high of $38.70.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $35.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.80 million. FS Bancorp had a net margin of 19.21% and a return on equity of 15.16%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that FS Bancorp will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

FS Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 8th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This is a positive change from FS Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 7th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. FS Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FS Bancorp

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FSBW. UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of FS Bancorp by 188.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,522 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 995 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of FS Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC raised its holdings in shares of FS Bancorp by 2,203.8% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 1,797 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,719 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of FS Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in FS Bancorp by 5,155.1% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,575 shares of the bank’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.88% of the company’s stock.

FS Bancorp Company Profile

FS Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington that provides banking and financial services to local families, local and regional businesses, and industry niches. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Consumer Banking; and Home Lending. It offers various deposit instruments, including checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.