First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) Short Interest Update

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) saw a large drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 115,300 shares, a drop of 16.3% from the February 28th total of 137,800 shares. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 54,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FCCO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James raised First Community from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Hovde Group boosted their target price on shares of First Community from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of First Community from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

First Community Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of First Community stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $22.30. The company had a trading volume of 20,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 57,391. The firm has a market cap of $171.06 million, a PE ratio of 12.31 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. First Community has a fifty-two week low of $15.40 and a fifty-two week high of $27.96.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.06. First Community had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 10.14%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Community will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio is 33.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of First Community in the 4th quarter valued at $6,012,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP increased its stake in First Community by 183.1% in the fourth quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 91,733 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,202,000 after purchasing an additional 59,335 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Community by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 90,731 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,178,000 after purchasing an additional 21,832 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of First Community by 79.7% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 39,517 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 17,532 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in First Community by 77.3% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 37,400 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $898,000 after buying an additional 16,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.25% of the company’s stock.

About First Community

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.