Short Interest in First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Drops By 17.8%

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 25,400 shares, a decline of 17.8% from the March 15th total of 30,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 12,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bruce Mcanally bought 24,615 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.47 per share, with a total value of $208,489.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 145,839 shares in the company, valued at $1,235,256.33. The trade was a 20.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Edgar R. Smith III bought 98,460 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.47 per share, for a total transaction of $833,956.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,460 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $833,956.20. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 123,175 shares of company stock valued at $1,043,292 over the last three months. Insiders own 46.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of First Guaranty Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $122,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares in the 4th quarter worth approximately $149,000. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in First Guaranty Bancshares by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 13,661 shares of the bank's stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth approximately $296,000. Institutional investors own 39.52% of the company's stock.

First Guaranty Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FGBI traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $10.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,640. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $129.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50-day moving average of $8.17 and a 200-day moving average of $10.26. First Guaranty Bancshares has a 12 month low of $6.56 and a 12 month high of $15.25.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.13). First Guaranty Bancshares had a return on equity of 5.62% and a net margin of 5.04%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Guaranty Bancshares will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 27th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.39%. First Guaranty Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.94%.

First Guaranty Bancshares Company Profile

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc operates as the holding company for First Guaranty Bank that provides commercial banking services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products, including personal and business checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as time deposits to consumers, small businesses, and municipalities.