Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $18.97 and traded as high as $21.06. Eagle Bancorp Montana shares last traded at $20.41, with a volume of 45,373 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EBMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson upped their price target on Eagle Bancorp Montana from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research raised Eagle Bancorp Montana from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $23.00.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 0.31.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The firm had revenue of $24.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.89 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.145 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Eagle Bancorp Montana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Peter Joseph Johnson sold 4,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total transaction of $96,667.52. Following the sale, the director directly owned 48,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,127,011.38. This trade represents a 7.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Samuel Waters sold 2,100 shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.48, for a total value of $47,208.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 31,534 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $708,884.32. This represents a 6.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 19,647 shares of company stock valued at $446,110 in the last quarter. 5.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eagle Bancorp Montana

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 79.1% during the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 41,108 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 18,156 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 549.7% during the second quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 118,900 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,982,000 after buying an additional 100,600 shares in the last quarter. HoldCo Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Eagle Bancorp Montana during the second quarter worth $538,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its position in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 9.1% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 300,216 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,005,000 after buying an additional 25,138 shares during the period. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new position in Eagle Bancorp Montana in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.66% of the company’s stock.

About Eagle Bancorp Montana

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Helena, Montana, that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Eagle Bank & Trust. The company offers a range of community banking services to individuals, small businesses and governmental entities. Its core offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage financing and treasury management.

Through Eagle Bank & Trust, the company provides checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, online and mobile banking platforms, ATM access and cash management solutions designed to meet the needs of local customers.