Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,700 shares, a growth of 5.4% from the October 15th total of 11,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Insider Activity at Eagle Bancorp Montana

In other Eagle Bancorp Montana news, Director Kenneth M. Walsh sold 6,705 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.44, for a total value of $110,230.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 141,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,318,582.52. This represents a 4.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Peter Joseph Johnson sold 7,374 shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.28, for a total value of $105,300.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 61,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $873,064.92. The trade was a 10.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 16,694 shares of company stock valued at $255,411. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fourthstone LLC lifted its position in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 520,663 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,221,000 after purchasing an additional 5,898 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 361,193 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,638,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 14.3% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 171,174 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,254,000 after buying an additional 21,441 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 93,172 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,236,000 after purchasing an additional 2,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 77,133 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,218,000 after acquiring an additional 11,490 shares in the last quarter. 35.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.50. The stock had a trading volume of 21,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,240. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $16.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a 52 week low of $11.81 and a 52 week high of $17.65. The company has a market capitalization of $132.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 0.52.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $31.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.60 million. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a return on equity of 4.96% and a net margin of 7.03%. Sell-side analysts predict that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.142 per share. This represents a $0.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Eagle Bancorp Montana’s payout ratio is 52.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised Eagle Bancorp Montana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

About Eagle Bancorp Montana

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana that provides various retail banking products and services to small businesses and individuals in Montana. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts.