Royce & Associates LP Takes Position in FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP invested approximately $617,000 in FS Bancorp by acquiring 16,230 shares, representing a 0.21% stake in the company.
• FS Bancorp recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28, yielding 2.77%, with a payout ratio of 26.60%.
• Analysts have raised FS Bancorp's rating from "sell" to "hold" and adjusted the target price from $41.00 to $44.00 following its latest earnings report.

Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 16,230 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $617,000. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.21% of FS Bancorp as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FSBW. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of FS Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,510,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in FS Bancorp by 108.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 37,536 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,541,000 after buying an additional 19,509 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in FS Bancorp by 119.9% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 21,412 shares of the bank's stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 11,674 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in FS Bancorp by 12,586.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,149 shares of the bank's stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 10,069 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in FS Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $365,000. 63.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on FSBW. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of FS Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of FS Bancorp from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th.

FS Bancorp Stock Down 3.2%

NASDAQ:FSBW traded down $1.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $37.84. The stock had a trading volume of 18,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,802. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. FS Bancorp, Inc. has a 1-year low of $34.61 and a 1-year high of $49.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.25. The company has a market cap of $291.37 million, a PE ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 0.72.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.02. FS Bancorp had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 11.35%. The company had revenue of $37.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.55 million. Analysts predict that FS Bancorp, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

FS Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 7th. FS Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is 26.60%.

FS Bancorp Profile

FS Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington that provides banking and financial services to local families, local and regional businesses, and industry niches. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Consumer Banking; and Home Lending. It offers various deposit instruments, including checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.