National Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NKSH) Short Interest Update

National Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NKSH) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 74,083 shares, a decrease of 20.6% from the December 15th total of 93,308 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,414 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.1 days. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,414 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Bankshares to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of National Bankshares in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, National Bankshares currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Bankshares

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new position in shares of National Bankshares during the second quarter worth $35,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of National Bankshares during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of National Bankshares by 398.9% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,746 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of National Bankshares by 45.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,067 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of National Bankshares by 266.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,183 shares of the bank’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 3,043 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.73% of the company’s stock.

National Bankshares Stock Performance

Shares of National Bankshares stock opened at $34.32 on Friday. National Bankshares has a fifty-two week low of $23.75 and a fifty-two week high of $35.00. The company has a market capitalization of $218.62 million, a P/E ratio of 16.82 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a fifty day moving average of $31.88 and a 200 day moving average of $30.27.

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The bank reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.87 million. National Bankshares had a return on equity of 8.62% and a net margin of 15.56%. Analysts forecast that National Bankshares will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

National Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a yield of 536.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 24th. National Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.47%.

About National Bankshares

National Bankshares, Inc is a Virginia-based bank holding company headquartered in Reston. Through its primary subsidiaries, National Bank of Blacksburg and The Bank of Giles and Montgomery, the company offers a full suite of community banking services to individuals, small businesses and nonprofit organizations.

The company’s core activities include deposit-taking, consumer and commercial lending, mortgage origination and servicing, trust and wealth management, and electronic banking platforms.