Short Interest in First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Expands By 5.9%

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 23,200 shares, a growth of 5.9% from the April 15th total of 21,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 13,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company's stock are short sold.

First Business Financial Services Price Performance

NASDAQ:FBIZ traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $34.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,739. First Business Financial Services has a 52-week low of $25.87 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The business's 50-day moving average is $34.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.52. The company has a market capitalization of $283.90 million, a PE ratio of 7.89 and a beta of 0.79.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.09). First Business Financial Services had a net margin of 15.48% and a return on equity of 13.51%. The company had revenue of $62.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.47 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that First Business Financial Services will post 4.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Business Financial Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 8th. First Business Financial Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,345 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.51, for a total value of $46,415.95. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $339,440.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in First Business Financial Services by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 361,070 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,540,000 after acquiring an additional 7,499 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $247,000. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. acquired a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of First Business Financial Services by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 169,134 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,076,000 after purchasing an additional 4,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on FBIZ shares. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of First Business Financial Services from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of First Business Financial Services in a research report on Monday, March 18th.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.