First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ: FCBC) crossed above its 200-day moving average on Monday, trading as high as $44.52 and last changing hands at $43.94.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans cautious: Zacks upgraded the stock to Hold, Raymond James started coverage at Market Perform, and Weiss reiterated a Buy; the overall average rating is Hold.
• The bank recently beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $0.73 EPS versus $0.72 expected and revenue of $78.05 million, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share for an annualized yield of about 2.8%.

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $40.43 and traded as high as $44.52. First Community Bancshares shares last traded at $43.94, with a volume of 52,136 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of First Community Bancshares to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of First Community Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of First Community Bancshares in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Community Bancshares presently has an average rating of "Hold".

First Community Bancshares Stock Down 0.1%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.43. The firm has a market cap of $829.15 million, a PE ratio of 16.58 and a beta of 0.48.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The bank reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $78.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $44.20 million. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 25.89%. Research analysts expect that First Community Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

First Community Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. First Community Bancshares's payout ratio is presently 46.79%.

Institutional Trading of First Community Bancshares

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FCBC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 3.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,052,046 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,611,000 after acquiring an additional 33,184 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 439,993 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,845,000 after purchasing an additional 17,165 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of First Community Bancshares by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 417,549 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,084,000 after purchasing an additional 2,944 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 122.4% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 97,773 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 53,804 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 77,191 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,604,000 after purchasing an additional 18,612 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.95% of the company's stock.

About First Community Bancshares

First Community Bancshares, Inc NASDAQ: FCBC is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.

The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.

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