First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Short Interest Up 23.9% in January

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 123,798 shares, an increase of 23.9% from the December 31st total of 99,882 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 33,102 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 33,102 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on FGBI shares. Zacks Research upgraded First Guaranty Bancshares from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Guaranty Bancshares has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

First Guaranty Bancshares Price Performance

First Guaranty Bancshares stock opened at $9.02 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.46 million, a P/E ratio of -2.18 and a beta of 0.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $6.39 and a 200-day moving average of $7.25. First Guaranty Bancshares has a 1 year low of $4.31 and a 1 year high of $10.55.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The bank reported ($3.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.10 million for the quarter. First Guaranty Bancshares had a negative net margin of 25.11% and a negative return on equity of 20.76%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Guaranty Bancshares will post 0.89 EPS for the current year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. First Guaranty Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -0.97%.

Insider Activity at First Guaranty Bancshares

In related news, Director Edgar R. Smith III acquired 208,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.40 per share, for a total transaction of $1,128,578.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 537,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,901,236.40. This trade represents a 63.67% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bruce Mcanally acquired 92,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.40 per share, for a total transaction of $500,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 300,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,621,944. The trade was a 44.57% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 382,438 shares of company stock worth $2,045,197. 47.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

An institutional investor recently raised its position in First Guaranty Bancshares stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) by 8.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,742 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.37% of First Guaranty Bancshares worth $355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.52% of the company’s stock.

About First Guaranty Bancshares

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc is a financial holding company headquartered in Hammond, Louisiana. Through its principal subsidiary, First Guaranty Bank, the company provides a diversified range of commercial and retail banking services. Founded in 1932, First Guaranty Bancshares has grown from a community mutual bank into a publicly traded institution listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker FGBI.

The company’s core business activities encompass traditional deposit products and lending solutions.