First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average of $34.89

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ – Get Rating) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $34.89 and traded as high as $36.06. First Business Financial Services shares last traded at $34.94, with a volume of 18,664 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FBIZ shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of First Business Financial Services in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of First Business Financial Services from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 31st.

First Business Financial Services Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average is $37.74 and its 200 day moving average is $34.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $294.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.65 and a beta of 0.76.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 27th. The financial services provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.25. First Business Financial Services had a net margin of 28.75% and a return on equity of 16.64%. The firm had revenue of $34.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.80 million. Research analysts anticipate that First Business Financial Services, Inc. will post 4.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Business Financial Services Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.1975 per share. This represents a $0.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 4th. First Business Financial Services’s payout ratio is currently 17.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Business Financial Services news, General Counsel Barbara Mccarty Conley sold 3,005 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.50, for a total transaction of $112,687.50. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 27,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,012,575. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of First Business Financial Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBIZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of First Business Financial Services by 39.3% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 1,880 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 3.5% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 16,671 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 29.3% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 31,329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after purchasing an additional 7,108 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Business Financial Services in the first quarter valued at about $146,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. raised its position in First Business Financial Services by 4.4% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,725 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,158,000 after acquiring an additional 5,307 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.11% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

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First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals. The company offers deposit products, such as non-interest-bearing transaction accounts, interest-bearing transaction accounts, money market accounts, time deposits, and certificates of deposit, as well as credit cards.