De Lisle Partners LLP Increases Stock Holdings in First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ)

De Lisle Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,183 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP owned approximately 0.80% of First Business Financial Services worth $3,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of FBIZ. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of First Business Financial Services by 2.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in First Business Financial Services in the 1st quarter worth $60,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in First Business Financial Services by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 37,891 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after buying an additional 1,998 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $125,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 38.3% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 9,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 2,740 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ FBIZ opened at $50.51 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $45.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.41. First Business Financial Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.56 and a 52-week high of $52.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.23 million, a P/E ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 0.83.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $66.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.80 million. First Business Financial Services had a return on equity of 13.70% and a net margin of 15.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.17 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that First Business Financial Services, Inc. will post 4.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Business Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. First Business Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 21.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on FBIZ shares. StockNews.com raised First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on First Business Financial Services from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, DA Davidson raised shares of First Business Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $36.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Business Financial Services presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.00.

Insider Activity

In other First Business Financial Services news, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $49,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $408,709. This trade represents a 10.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James Edward Hartlieb sold 6,344 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.15, for a total value of $273,743.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,215,190.30. This trade represents a 18.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,344 shares of company stock valued at $2,275,144. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.