FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning.

FS Bancorp Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ:FSBW traded down $0.13 on Wednesday, hitting $33.55. 6,945 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,305. The stock has a market capitalization of $262.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.36 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.00. FS Bancorp has a 52 week low of $26.08 and a 52 week high of $38.70. The company's 50-day moving average price is $33.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.78.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The bank reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.21. FS Bancorp had a net margin of 19.21% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The business had revenue of $35.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.80 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that FS Bancorp will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

FS Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 8th were paid a $0.26 dividend. This is a positive change from FS Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 7th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. FS Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.81%.

Institutional Trading of FS Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FSBW. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of FS Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $225,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in FS Bancorp by 69.7% during the 3rd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,902 shares of the bank's stock worth $440,000 after purchasing an additional 6,121 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in FS Bancorp by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 29,479 shares of the bank's stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 597 shares during the period. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in FS Bancorp by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 270,723 shares of the bank's stock worth $7,986,000 after buying an additional 9,716 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in FS Bancorp by 0.8% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 70,151 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,069,000 after buying an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. 63.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About FS Bancorp

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.