C&F Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CFFI) Short Interest Down 16.6% in March

Key Points

• Short interest fell 16.6% — Short interest dropped to 40,491 shares as of March 31 (1.3% of shares), implying a 6.6 days-to-cover ratio based on average daily volume.
• Solid recent results and dividend raise — C&F reported $2.07 EPS for the most recent quarter, trades at a P/E of 9.31 with a $252.1M market cap, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.48 ($1.92 annual, ~2.5% yield).
• Institutional interest and cautious analyst view — Several institutions (including a new $500k stake from Siena Capital) increased or initiated positions (institutional ownership ~37.2%), while Weiss Ratings and the MarketBeat consensus maintain a Hold rating.

C&F Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CFFI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 40,491 shares, a drop of 16.6% from the March 15th total of 48,558 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,103 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.6 days. Currently, 1.3% of the company's stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CFFI. Siena Capital Partners GP LLC bought a new stake in C&F Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $500,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in C&F Financial by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 72,922 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,295,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in C&F Financial by 46.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 618 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in C&F Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at $854,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new stake in C&F Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $105,000. 37.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of C&F Financial in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold".

C&F Financial Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:CFFI traded down $1.08 during trading on Thursday, hitting $77.42. 4,902 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,260. The stock has a market cap of $252.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.34. C&F Financial has a fifty-two week low of $57.09 and a fifty-two week high of $80.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $74.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $71.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $35.88 million for the quarter. C&F Financial had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 14.43%.

C&F Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from C&F Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. C&F Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.19%.

C&F Financial Company Profile

C&F Financial Corporation is the bank holding company for C&F Bank, a community‐focused financial institution headquartered in Stephens City, Virginia. Founded in 1921, the company has grown from a single local bank into a regional franchise serving both retail and commercial clients. While the holding company trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker CFFI, its principal activities remain centered on traditional banking services designed to foster long-term relationships within its communities.

C&F Bank offers a full suite of deposit and lending products, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and consumer and commercial loan facilities.

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