First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $33.58, but opened at $34.77. First Community Bancshares shares last traded at $34.6550, with a volume of 2,981 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on FCBC. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of First Community Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First Community Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

First Community Bancshares Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $659.89 million, a PE ratio of 13.54 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.97.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $43.79 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.20 million. First Community Bancshares had a net margin of 26.32% and a return on equity of 10.16%.

First Community Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. First Community Bancshares’s payout ratio is 46.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Community Bancshares by 3.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 402,316 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,205 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Community Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $721,000. Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 16,947 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 2,761 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Community Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Finally, City Holding Co. increased its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 98.5% during the 3rd quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 1,042 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.95% of the company’s stock.

About First Community Bancshares

First Community Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FCBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.

The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.