Short Interest in Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) Increases By 36.4%

Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 18,000 shares, a growth of 36.4% from the April 30th total of 13,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 17,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.0 days. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Activity at Franklin Financial Services

In other news, SVP Steven D. Butz sold 998 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $38,742.36. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $191,227.32. This represents a 16.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, President Craig W. Best acquired 6,756 shares of Franklin Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $37.00 per share, for a total transaction of $249,972.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the president now directly owns 15,606 shares of the company's stock, valued at $577,422. This represents a 76.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 6,785 shares of company stock worth $251,089 in the last ninety days. 7.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FRAF. PL Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Franklin Financial Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,518,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 62,972 shares of the company's stock worth $1,883,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 100,147.1% in the 1st quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 34,084 shares of the company's stock worth $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 34,050 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 3.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,474 shares of the company's stock worth $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 1,202 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Franklin Financial Services during the first quarter valued at $571,000. 24.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Franklin Financial Services Trading Down 1.4%

FRAF stock traded down $0.50 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $36.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,813. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Franklin Financial Services has a 12 month low of $26.00 and a 12 month high of $40.76. The business's 50 day moving average price is $37.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.22. The company has a market cap of $162.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.17.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 9.64%. The business had revenue of $20.17 million for the quarter.

Franklin Financial Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. This is a boost from Franklin Financial Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Franklin Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.77%.

Franklin Financial Services Company Profile

Franklin Financial Services Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Farmers and Merchants Trust Company of Chambersburg that provides commercial, retail banking, and trust services to businesses, individuals, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, money management, and time deposit accounts, as well as demand deposits.