First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) Expected to Post Earnings of $0.47 Per Share

Brokerages forecast that First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO – Get Rating) will announce earnings per share of $0.47 for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Three analysts have provided estimates for First Community’s earnings. The highest EPS estimate is $0.51 and the lowest is $0.44. First Community also reported earnings per share of $0.47 in the same quarter last year. The company is scheduled to report its next earnings report on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that First Community will report full-year earnings of $1.96 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.85 to $2.08. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the company will report earnings of $2.06 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.85 to $2.20. Zacks’ earnings per share calculations are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that cover First Community.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 20th. The bank reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.03. First Community had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 25.18%.

Several brokerages have recently commented on FCCO. Zacks Investment Research raised First Community from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 31st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Community in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James cut First Community from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 20th.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in First Community by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 136,299 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,827,000 after buying an additional 21,509 shares in the last quarter. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. lifted its position in shares of First Community by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 161,784 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,377,000 after purchasing an additional 11,598 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Community during the 4th quarter worth about $2,882,000. BHZ Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of First Community by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. BHZ Capital Management LP now owns 74,068 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Community during the 4th quarter worth about $78,000. Institutional investors own 51.60% of the company’s stock.

Shares of FCCO traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $20.35. 1,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,431. The company has a market capitalization of $153.87 million, a PE ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.83. First Community has a one year low of $18.00 and a one year high of $23.42.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. First Community’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.37%.

About First Community (Get Rating)

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank which offers various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professional concerns, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.

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