FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 69,300 shares, a growth of 37.2% from the April 30th total of 50,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 15,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FS Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in FS Bancorp by 7.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 38,822 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 2,611 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in FS Bancorp by 3.1% in the first quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 87,693 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,333,000 after purchasing an additional 2,611 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in FS Bancorp by 23.9% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,525 shares of the bank's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in FS Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth about $286,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in FS Bancorp by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 22,595 shares of the bank's stock worth $859,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.88% of the company's stock.

FS Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of FS Bancorp stock traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $38.50. 8,537 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,004. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.31. FS Bancorp has a 52 week low of $31.81 and a 52 week high of $49.15. The firm has a market cap of $296.33 million, a P/E ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.08. FS Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 16.97%. The company had revenue of $36.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.05 million. Research analysts forecast that FS Bancorp will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current year.

FS Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 8th. FS Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded FS Bancorp from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd.

FS Bancorp Company Profile

FS Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington that provides banking and financial services to local families, local and regional businesses, and industry niches. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Consumer Banking; and Home Lending. It offers various deposit instruments, including checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.