CF Bankshares Inc. (NASDAQ:CFBK) Short Interest Up 30.3% in March

Key Points

• Short interest spike: Short interest rose 30.3% to 60,088 shares as of March 13 (about 1.2% of shares outstanding), with a days-to-cover ratio of roughly 1.0.
• Earnings beat and dividend increase: CF Bankshares reported $0.88 EPS versus $0.76 expected (net margin 13.82%, ROE 9.76%) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.09 (annualized $0.36, ~1.3% yield).
• Valuation and analyst view: The stock has a market cap of $177.8M and a P/E of 10.3, and Weiss Ratings upgraded the shares to a "buy" while the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $29.00.

CF Bankshares Inc. (NASDAQ:CFBK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 60,088 shares, a growth of 30.3% from the February 26th total of 46,128 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 57,442 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days.

CF Bankshares Price Performance

CF Bankshares stock opened at $27.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $29.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.26. CF Bankshares has a 12-month low of $19.22 and a 12-month high of $34.33. The stock has a market cap of $177.79 million, a P/E ratio of 10.28 and a beta of 0.40.

CF Bankshares (NASDAQ:CFBK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The savings and loans company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.12. CF Bankshares had a net margin of 13.82% and a return on equity of 9.76%. The company had revenue of $15.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.94 million.

CF Bankshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th were issued a $0.09 dividend. This is a boost from CF Bankshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 15th. CF Bankshares's payout ratio is currently 13.38%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CF Bankshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC acquired a new position in shares of CF Bankshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of CF Bankshares during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of CF Bankshares by 1,305.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,729 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,606 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in CF Bankshares in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in CF Bankshares in the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CF Bankshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CF Bankshares has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.00.

About CF Bankshares

CF Bankshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Through its primary subsidiary, Community First Bank, Wichita, N.A., the company provides a broad range of financial services to individuals, businesses and agricultural clients. CF Bankshares emphasizes community-oriented banking, combining local market knowledge with a personalized approach to customer relationships.

The company's offerings include traditional deposit accounts such as checking, savings and money market products, along with a variety of commercial and consumer lending solutions.

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