First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: First Community Bancshares passed above its 200‑day moving average ($36.57), trading as high as $43.16 and last at $42.51 on volume of 84,041 shares.
• Analyst upgrade and earnings beat: Weiss Ratings raised FCBC from "hold (c+)" to "buy (b-)," and the bank topped Q1 estimates with EPS $0.77 vs. $0.67 and revenue $43.79M vs. $43.2M.
• Dividend and institutional interest: The stock yields 2.9% (quarterly $0.31, payout ratio 46.62%), has a market cap of about $811M and P/E of 15.98, and institutional ownership is roughly 34.95% after recent buying by several funds.

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $36.57 and traded as high as $43.16. First Community Bancshares shares last traded at $42.51, with a volume of 84,041 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised First Community Bancshares from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy".

First Community Bancshares Stock Down 1.1%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.57. The company has a market capitalization of $811.09 million, a P/E ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 0.48.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.10. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.17% and a net margin of 26.32%.The company had revenue of $43.79 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.20 million.

First Community Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. First Community Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is 46.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community Bancshares

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FCBC. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 87.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 18,145 shares of the bank's stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 8,457 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 4.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,124 shares of the bank's stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of First Community Bancshares during the first quarter worth about $976,000. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 17.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 16,659 shares of the bank's stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 2,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 6.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 41,198 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,614,000 after buying an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. 34.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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