National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.13 EPS

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.13, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $15.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.50 million. National Bankshares had a net margin of 20.39% and a return on equity of 10.38%.

National Bankshares Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:NKSH traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $35.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,893. The company has a market capitalization of $223.20 million, a PE ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.61. National Bankshares has a 1 year low of $24.74 and a 1 year high of $40.00.

National Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 26th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 425.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 26th. National Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.73%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Bankshares

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA purchased a new position in shares of National Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,034,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in National Bankshares by 209.9% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,305 shares of the bank’s stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 2,916 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in National Bankshares by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,425 shares of the bank’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC lifted its holdings in National Bankshares by 76.0% in the fourth quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 226,138 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,582,000 after acquiring an additional 97,641 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Bankshares by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,853 shares of the bank’s stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 9,803 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NKSH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research raised National Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Bankshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut National Bankshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

National Bankshares Company Profile

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.