First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) Stock Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) shares passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.01 and traded as high as $17.16. First Bank shares last traded at $16.96, with a volume of 31,589 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on FRBA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Bank in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded First Bank from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, DA Davidson cut First Bank from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, First Bank presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.25.

First Bank Trading Down 0.3%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.01 and a 200 day moving average of $15.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The bank reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $37.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.76 million. First Bank had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 10.02%. On average, equities analysts forecast that First Bank will post 1.78 earnings per share for the current year.

First Bank Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. First Bank’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bank

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRBA. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Bank during the first quarter valued at about $500,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of First Bank by 3.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 96,905 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in First Bank by 9.4% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 220,191 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,261,000 after purchasing an additional 18,969 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in First Bank during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $480,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in First Bank by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 53,400 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $791,000 after purchasing an additional 9,380 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.86% of the company’s stock.

First Bank Company Profile

First Bank provides various banking products and services to small to mid-sized businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposits, including non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as commercial checking accounts. It also offers various loan products comprising commercial and industrial loans, which include line of credit, inventory, equipment, and short-term working capital financing; commercial real estate loans, such as owner-occupied, investor, construction and development, and multi-family loans; residential real estate loans comprising residential mortgages, first and second lien home equity loans, and revolving lines of credit; and consumer and other loans consists of auto, personal, traditional installment, and other loans.