Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) Plans Dividend Increase - $0.15 Per Share

Key Points

• Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. has raised its quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share, reflecting a 1.8% increase from the previous dividend of $0.14.
• The bank reported a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 6.35%, with earnings per share meeting consensus estimates at $0.41 for the quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded Eagle Bancorp Montana from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating, indicating increased investor confidence.

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 24th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of 0.145 per share by the bank on Friday, September 5th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a 1.8% increase from Eagle Bancorp Montana's previous quarterly dividend of $0.14.

Eagle Bancorp Montana has a payout ratio of 31.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Eagle Bancorp Montana to earn $1.73 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.57 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 32.9%.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of EBMT traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $15.76. 25,804 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 36,199. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.68. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a 52 week low of $12.61 and a 52 week high of $18.49. The company has a market cap of $125.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 0.39.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The bank reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41. The company had revenue of $23.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.34 million. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 7.14%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

About Eagle Bancorp Montana

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana that provides various retail banking products and services to small businesses and individuals in Montana. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts.