Banc Funds Co. LLC Decreases Holdings in First Western Financial, Inc. $MYFW

Banc Funds Co. LLC decreased its stake in First Western Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYFW) by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 414,629 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75,892 shares during the quarter. First Western Financial makes up approximately 1.7% of Banc Funds Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Banc Funds Co. LLC’s holdings in First Western Financial were worth $9,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MYFW. Algebris UK Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of First Western Financial during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,258,000. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp boosted its holdings in First Western Financial by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 280,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,329,000 after buying an additional 23,317 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in First Western Financial by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 250,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,758,000 after buying an additional 12,730 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in First Western Financial by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 181,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,100,000 after buying an additional 6,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Western Financial by 58.3% during the third quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 156,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,598,000 after acquiring an additional 57,565 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott C. Mitchell sold 3,178 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.96, for a total value of $76,144.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,935.08. This trade represents a 36.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David R. Duncan sold 8,626 shares of First Western Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.56, for a total value of $220,480.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 20,793 shares of company stock valued at $522,567 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 15.50% of the company’s stock.

First Western Financial Stock Performance

MYFW opened at $23.99 on Friday. First Western Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.52 and a twelve month high of $28.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.54 million, a PE ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.37.

First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.02). First Western Financial had a net margin of 7.08% and a return on equity of 5.06%. The business had revenue of $26.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.50 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Western Financial, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MYFW shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Western Financial in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded First Western Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.33.

About First Western Financial

First Western Financial, Inc (NASDAQ: MYFW) is a Denver-based bank holding company that, through its principal subsidiary First Western Trust, delivers a suite of personalized financial services. The company’s core activities center on wealth management and trust administration for high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions. In addition, First Western Financial offers a comprehensive range of deposit products—such as checking accounts, savings accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit—designed to meet the liquidity and income needs of its clients.

Complementing its deposit offerings, First Western Financial provides fiduciary and investment management services, including estate planning, charitable giving strategies and multi-generational wealth transfer.