Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BOTJ) Short Interest Up 53.1% in March

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 53.1% in March to 6,363 shares as of March 13, representing about 0.2% of shares outstanding and a days-to-cover ratio of 1.2.
• President Robert R. Chapman bought 1,200 shares on Feb. 20 at $20.89, raising his stake to 124,118 shares; insiders have purchased 2,289 shares in the past three months and collectively own 15.37% of the company.
• Institutional investors have been adding positions (e.g., Fourthstone, Daytona Street Capital, LPL), bringing institutional ownership to 18.50%; BOTJ reported quarterly EPS of $0.60 and pays a $0.10 quarterly dividend (about a 1.9% yield).

Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:BOTJ - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 6,363 shares, a growth of 53.1% from the February 26th total of 4,156 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,360 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bank of the James Financial Group

In related news, President Robert R. Chapman purchased 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $20.89 per share, with a total value of $25,068.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the president directly owned 124,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,592,825.02. This trade represents a 0.98% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have purchased a total of 2,289 shares of company stock valued at $47,387 over the last three months. Company insiders own 15.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fourthstone LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of the James Financial Group by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 321,908 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,981,000 after buying an additional 30,126 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of the James Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $266,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of the James Financial Group during the fourth quarter worth $2,933,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Bank of the James Financial Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 36,238 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new stake in Bank of the James Financial Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $568,000. 18.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bank of the James Financial Group Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Bank of the James Financial Group stock opened at $20.55 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.98. The stock has a market cap of $93.30 million, a PE ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 0.12. Bank of the James Financial Group has a 12 month low of $13.00 and a 12 month high of $21.49.

Bank of the James Financial Group (NASDAQ:BOTJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter. Bank of the James Financial Group had a return on equity of 12.47% and a net margin of 14.43%.The firm had revenue of $12.86 million for the quarter.

Bank of the James Financial Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Bank of the James Financial Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Bank of the James Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Bank of the James Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

About Bank of the James Financial Group

Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc is the bank holding company for The Bank of the James, a Virginia-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia. Established in the early 20th century, the organization has developed a reputation for community banking with a focus on personalized service. As a NASDAQ-listed entity under the ticker BOTJ, the holding company oversees a network of full-service branches throughout Central and Southwestern Virginia.

The Bank of the James offers a comprehensive suite of consumer and commercial banking solutions.

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