Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) Stock Price Down 1.7% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Finward Bancorp's stock price has decreased by 1.7%, trading at $31.87, with a significant drop in trading volume to only 10,372 shares, compared to an average of 36,392 shares.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded Finward Bancorp from a "sell" to a "hold" rating, and the stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $34.00.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.5%, with a payout ratio of 38.71%.

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 1.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $31.83 and last traded at $31.87. Approximately 10,372 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 36,392 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Finward Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Finward Bancorp presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.00.

Finward Bancorp Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $29.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.24. The company has a market capitalization of $138.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $16.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.85 million. Finward Bancorp had a return on equity of 3.45% and a net margin of 5.23%. On average, analysts predict that Finward Bancorp will post 0.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Finward Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th were issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Finward Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Finward Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PL Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Finward Bancorp by 11.2% in the first quarter. PL Capital Advisors LLC now owns 395,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,515,000 after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Finward Bancorp by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 15,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $422,000 after acquiring an additional 4,098 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Finward Bancorp by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 17,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $496,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Finward Bancorp by 99.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 81,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,256,000 after acquiring an additional 40,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new position in Finward Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $102,000. Institutional investors own 26.59% of the company's stock.

About Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company's deposit products include non-interest- and interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificate accounts, and retirement savings plans.