Short Interest in National Bank Holdings Corporation (NYSE:NBHC) Declines By 19.8%

National Bank Holdings Corporation (NYSE:NBHC) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 540,774 shares, a decline of 19.8% from the December 15th total of 674,113 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 331,215 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 331,215 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

National Bank Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE NBHC traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $40.81. 648,758 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 343,879. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. National Bank has a 1-year low of $32.83 and a 1-year high of $44.84. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.34. The company has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.91 and a beta of 0.81.

National Bank (NYSE:NBHC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $108.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.56 million. National Bank had a return on equity of 9.56% and a net margin of 20.50%.The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National Bank will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

National Bank Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. This is a boost from National Bank’s previous quarterly dividend of ($0.30). National Bank’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NBHC. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of National Bank in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised National Bank from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Stephens raised shares of National Bank from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $42.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.50.

Institutional Trading of National Bank

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its position in shares of National Bank by 650.9% during the third quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of National Bank by 50.8% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in National Bank by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in National Bank by 131.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in National Bank during the 3rd quarter valued at $211,000. 92.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About National Bank

National Bank Holdings Corporation (NYSE: NBHC) is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Through its network of community bank subsidiaries, the company provides deposit, lending and payment solutions to consumer, small business and commercial clients across multiple U.S. markets.

Since its founding in 1992, National Bank Holdings has pursued a growth strategy focused on acquiring and integrating locally branded community banks. Its footprint spans the Midwest and Southern United States, including Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Tennessee.