American Century Companies Inc. Raises Stake in Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. $GNTY

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Guaranty Bancshares by 36.0%, owning 65,637 shares valued at approximately $2.63 million after acquiring an additional 17,370 shares in the 1st quarter.
• Guaranty Bancshares has a dividend yield of 2.0%, with a recently declared quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, reflecting a payout ratio of 31.85%.
• Analysts have given Guaranty Bancshares a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $45.00, while one analyst set a price target of $47.00.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:GNTY - Free Report) by 36.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,637 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,370 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.58% of Guaranty Bancshares worth $2,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Guaranty Bancshares by 115.2% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 26,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $933,000 after purchasing an additional 14,442 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Guaranty Bancshares by 0.6% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 42,356 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,696,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Informed Momentum Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Guaranty Bancshares in the first quarter valued at about $427,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Guaranty Bancshares by 2.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 452,695 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,121,000 after purchasing an additional 9,873 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Guaranty Bancshares by 110.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,066 shares of the company's stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 7,905 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Guaranty Bancshares in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $45.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Guaranty Bancshares news, EVP William Travis Brown sold 706 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.58, for a total transaction of $34,297.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,876.70. This trade represents a 53.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 22.31% of the company's stock.

Guaranty Bancshares Price Performance

NASDAQ:GNTY traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $49.58. 39,992 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 42,775. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $46.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.26. Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.04 and a 1 year high of $50.50. The company has a market cap of $563.03 million, a PE ratio of 18.03 and a beta of 0.47.

Guaranty Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Guaranty Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.85%.

About Guaranty Bancshares

Guaranty Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Guaranty Bank & Trust, N.A. that provides a range of commercial and consumer banking products and services for small- and medium-sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company offers checking and savings, money market, and business accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; and commercial and industrial, construction and development, 1-4 family residential, commercial real estate, farmland, agricultural, multi-family residential, and consumer loans.