First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $47.45 and traded as high as $48.41. First Business Financial Services shares last traded at $48.00, with a volume of 32,724 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of First Business Financial Services from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of First Business Financial Services from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on First Business Financial Services from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $58.75.

First Business Financial Services Price Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market cap of $403.10 million, a P/E ratio of 9.30 and a beta of 0.88.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.16. First Business Financial Services had a net margin of 16.86% and a return on equity of 14.33%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Business Financial Services, Inc. will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

First Business Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. This is a positive change from First Business Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. First Business Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel Ovokaitys sold 4,828 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.55, for a total transaction of $263,367.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,718 shares in the company, valued at $421,016.90. This trade represents a 38.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Business Financial Services

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth about $81,000. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in First Business Financial Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $95,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in First Business Financial Services by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 14,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 19,076 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $883,000 after acquiring an additional 4,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc raised its holdings in shares of First Business Financial Services by 74.6% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 12,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 5,348 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Company 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.