First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) Share Price Passes Below 50 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• First Guaranty Bancshares shares fell below their 50-day moving average of $8.37, trading as low as $7.94, which raises concerns about the stock's performance.
• Analysts have provided mixed ratings for the stock, with some moving from a "hold" to a "sell" rating, resulting in a consensus rating of "Hold."
• The company reported a negative EPS of ($0.61) for the last quarter, significantly missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20).

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI - Get Free Report) shares passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $8.37 and traded as low as $7.94. First Guaranty Bancshares shares last traded at $7.94, with a volume of 13,448 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FGBI shares. Zacks Research raised shares of First Guaranty Bancshares to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of First Guaranty Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

First Guaranty Bancshares Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm's 50 day moving average is $8.37 and its 200 day moving average is $8.57. The firm has a market cap of $120.05 million, a P/E ratio of -7.86 and a beta of 0.43.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 18th. The bank reported ($0.61) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by ($0.41). First Guaranty Bancshares had a negative return on equity of 4.73% and a negative net margin of 4.49%.The business had revenue of $54.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $29.20 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 23rd. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. First Guaranty Bancshares's payout ratio is presently -3.96%.

Insider Transactions at First Guaranty Bancshares

In other news, Director Marshall T. Reynolds bought 30,865 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.10 per share, with a total value of $250,006.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,916,468 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,523,390.80. This represents a 1.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 47.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in First Guaranty Bancshares by 14.0% in the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 12,236 shares of the bank's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 1,502 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $149,000. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in First Guaranty Bancshares by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 13,661 shares of the bank's stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 2,894 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $172,000. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter worth about $296,000. 39.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Guaranty Bancshares

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.

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