First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Short Interest Up 9.5% in December

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,700 shares, an increase of 9.5% from the December 15th total of 11,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 11,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FGBI. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $122,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,788 shares of the bank’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 5,070 shares during the period. Fourthstone LLC acquired a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the third quarter valued at $366,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in First Guaranty Bancshares by 5.2% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 40,338 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 2,010 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares during the second quarter valued at about $138,000. 39.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Guaranty Bancshares Trading Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ FGBI traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $10.82. 5,316 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,573. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.36 million, a PE ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91. First Guaranty Bancshares has a 1-year low of $8.39 and a 1-year high of $15.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.94.

First Guaranty Bancshares Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. First Guaranty Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.76%.

First Guaranty Bancshares Company Profile

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc operates as the holding company for First Guaranty Bank that provides commercial banking services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products, including personal and business checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as time deposits to consumers, small businesses, and municipalities.