Short Interest in First Community Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) Drops By 9.7%

First Community Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) was the target of a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 108,500 shares, a drop of 9.7% from the January 15th total of 120,200 shares. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 36,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

First Community Bankshares Trading Down 5.8 %

Shares of First Community Bankshares stock traded down $2.55 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $41.50. 37,137 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 35,406. The stock has a market capitalization of $759.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.61 and a beta of 0.57. First Community Bankshares has a twelve month low of $31.00 and a twelve month high of $49.02. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.07.

First Community Bankshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. First Community Bankshares had a return on equity of 10.35% and a net margin of 27.81%.

First Community Bankshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. First Community Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.66%.

Institutional Trading of First Community Bankshares

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in First Community Bankshares by 134.5% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 73,000 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,040,000 after acquiring an additional 41,867 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of First Community Bankshares during the third quarter worth $1,030,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of First Community Bankshares by 219.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 29,709 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after purchasing an additional 20,412 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in First Community Bankshares during the 3rd quarter valued at $802,000. Finally, Mariner LLC purchased a new stake in First Community Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth $630,000. 34.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Community Bankshares

First Community Bankshares, Inc operates as the financial holding company for First Community Bank that provides various banking products and services. It offers demand deposit accounts, savings and money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement plans; and commercial, consumer real estate, and consumer and other loans.