Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Short Interest Up 45.3% in January

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) saw a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 40,536 shares, a growth of 45.3% from the December 31st total of 27,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,130 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.9 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,130 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 64.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,667 shares of the bank’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 4,863.2% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 943 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new stake in Sound Financial Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $101,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 3.2% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 92,003 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,238,000 after buying an additional 2,880 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Sound Financial Bancorp Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ SFBC traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $43.97. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,745. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.32. The stock has a market cap of $113.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 0.11. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 12 month low of $42.75 and a 12 month high of $52.75.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $9.53 million for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 11.64%.

Sound Financial Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Sound Financial Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.44%.

About Sound Financial Bancorp

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of Sound Community Bank, a community?oriented financial institution headquartered in University Place, Washington. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a broad array of banking and financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients throughout the Puget Sound region. Emphasizing relationship banking, Sound Financial Bancorp seeks to support local economic development by offering personalized service and community engagement.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a full spectrum of lending solutions.