First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA) Stock Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $14.32 and traded as high as $15.28. First Bank shares last traded at $15.24, with a volume of 22,519 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on FRBA. Hovde Group increased their price target on shares of First Bank from $17.00 to $17.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of First Bank from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

First Bank Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company's 50 day moving average price is $14.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $298.25 million, a P/E ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 0.73.

First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.02). First Bank had a net margin of 18.41% and a return on equity of 11.06%. The business had revenue of $33.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.52 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Bank will post 1.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Bank Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. First Bank's payout ratio is presently 15.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bank

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in First Bank by 217.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 36,112 shares of the bank's stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 24,746 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in First Bank by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,419 shares of the bank's stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 1,982 shares during the last quarter. PL Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in First Bank by 1,307.0% in the fourth quarter. PL Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,737,940 shares of the bank's stock valued at $94,803,000 after acquiring an additional 6,259,053 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in First Bank by 89.5% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 144,493 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 68,260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC raised its holdings in First Bank by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 143,350 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,017,000 after purchasing an additional 25,965 shares during the period. 64.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About First Bank

First Bank provides various banking products and services to small to mid-sized businesses and individuals. The company accepts various deposits, including non-interest-bearing demand deposits, interest bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as commercial checking accounts.

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