SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) Short Interest Up 29.4% in December

SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 120,101 shares, a growth of 29.4% from the November 30th total of 92,816 shares. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 14,457 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 14,457 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.3 days. Currently, 2.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SB Financial Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of SB Financial Group during the 1st quarter worth $350,000. Princeton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of SB Financial Group during the second quarter worth $218,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of SB Financial Group during the second quarter valued at $120,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of SB Financial Group by 56.0% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,068 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new position in shares of SB Financial Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of SB Financial Group in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded SB Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, SB Financial Group presently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

SB Financial Group Stock Performance

SBFG opened at $22.00 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $21.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $138.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38 and a beta of 0.25. SB Financial Group has a 1-year low of $17.10 and a 1-year high of $24.48.

SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $16.58 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.30 million. SB Financial Group had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 15.31%. Research analysts predict that SB Financial Group will post 2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SB Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were given a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from SB Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. SB Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.25%.

SB Financial Group Company Profile

SB Financial Group, Inc (NASDAQ: SBFG) is the bank holding company for Star Financial Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company offers a broad portfolio of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, lending solutions, mortgage origination and servicing, and cash management services.

In its commercial banking division, SB Financial Group provides working capital loans, equipment financing, commercial real estate lending and treasury management solutions designed for small- and mid-sized businesses.