First National Co. (NASDAQ:FXNC – Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 62,800 shares, a growth of 6.6% from the August 31st total of 58,900 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 15.3 days.
First National Stock Performance
Shares of FXNC traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $17.50. 3,889 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,556. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.28 and its 200 day moving average is $16.21. First National has a 1-year low of $14.50 and a 1-year high of $21.75. The stock has a market cap of $109.85 million, a P/E ratio of 12.24 and a beta of 0.52.
First National (NASDAQ:FXNC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.04. First National had a return on equity of 7.29% and a net margin of 10.40%. The company had revenue of $14.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.90 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that First National will post 1.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
First National Announces Dividend
Insider Transactions at First National
In other news, Director Kirtesh Patel bought 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $15.56 per share, for a total transaction of $116,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 29,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $460,747.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On First National
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FXNC. Cutler Capital Management LLC increased its stake in First National by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Cutler Capital Management LLC now owns 202,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,034 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of First National by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of First National by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 1,595 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.92% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott raised First National from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 1st.
Get Our Latest Analysis on FXNC
First National Company Profile
First National Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, individuals, estates, local governmental entities, and non-profit organizations in Virginia. The company's deposit products include checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit and treasury management solutions.
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