Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) Short Interest Update

Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN – Get Rating) saw a large drop in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 39,300 shares, a drop of 46.0% from the April 30th total of 72,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Middlefield Banc

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Susquehanna International Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Middlefield Banc by 381.1% in the first quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 50,768 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,422,000 after purchasing an additional 40,215 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Middlefield Banc by 86.4% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 78,013 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,186,000 after purchasing an additional 36,154 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc during the fourth quarter worth about $903,000. Triasima Portfolio Management inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc during the first quarter worth about $790,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Middlefield Banc by 41.9% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 70,985 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 20,952 shares in the last quarter. 38.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Middlefield Banc in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company.

Middlefield Banc Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Middlefield Banc stock opened at $23.36 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $26.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. Middlefield Banc has a 52-week low of $22.09 and a 52-week high of $30.00. The company has a market cap of $188.98 million, a P/E ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 0.54.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $21.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.50 million. Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 23.92%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Middlefield Banc will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Middlefield Banc Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 1st. Middlefield Banc’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.25%.

Middlefield Banc Company Profile

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Middlefield Banc Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of personal and commercial banking solutions. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, a variety of consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers’ checks services.