Oak Valley Bancorp (CA) (NASDAQ:OVLY) Short Interest Up 41.8% in March

Oak Valley Bancorp (CA) (NASDAQ:OVLY) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 48,163 shares, a growth of 41.8% from the February 26th total of 33,962 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,866 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of OVLY. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp by 123.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,708 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,496 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp by 43.9% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,997 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 1,145 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Oak Valley Bancorp by 147.7% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 7,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 4,307 shares during the period. 30.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oak Valley Bancorp Stock Up 0.6%

Oak Valley Bancorp stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $32.01. The stock had a trading volume of 19,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,617. The firm has a market capitalization of $269.20 million, a PE ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.25. Oak Valley Bancorp has a 12 month low of $22.70 and a 12 month high of $34.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $32.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.92.

Oak Valley Bancorp (NASDAQ:OVLY) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $21.29 million during the quarter. Oak Valley Bancorp had a net margin of 25.16% and a return on equity of 12.33%.

Oak Valley Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a yield of 232.0%. Oak Valley Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Oak Valley Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy”.

Oak Valley Bancorp Company Profile

Oak Valley Bancorp is the bank holding company for Oak Valley Community Bank, a California-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Lodi, California. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a full suite of banking services tailored to individuals, businesses, agricultural enterprises and nonprofit organizations. Its product portfolio includes checking and savings accounts, money market instruments, certificates of deposit and individual retirement accounts, alongside digital banking tools such as mobile and online banking platforms.

On the lending side, Oak Valley Bancorp provides commercial real estate and construction loans, agricultural and farm real estate financing, equipment leases, SBA-initiated programs and lines of credit.