Short Interest in QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH) Drops By 28.1%

QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 92,000 shares, a drop of 28.1% from the March 15th total of 127,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 56,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Insider Activity at QCR

In other news, CEO Larry J. Helling bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $56.00 per share, with a total value of $56,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,601 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,049,656. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Larry J. Helling purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $56.00 per share, for a total transaction of $56,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,601 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,049,656. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Gipple sold 6,791 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total value of $414,251.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 40,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,442,623. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in QCRH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of QCR by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 111,830 shares of the bank's stock valued at $6,329,000 after acquiring an additional 20,825 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in QCR in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in QCR by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 75,991 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,300,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in QCR by 33.9% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 7,867 shares of the bank's stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 1,991 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in QCR by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,231,738 shares of the bank's stock valued at $69,702,000 after buying an additional 21,065 shares during the last quarter. 70.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

QCR Stock Up 0.0 %

QCR stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $56.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 43,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 56,241. The firm's 50 day moving average is $57.24 and its 200 day moving average is $54.57. The company has a market cap of $942.14 million, a PE ratio of 8.33 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. QCR has a 52-week low of $35.14 and a 52-week high of $62.94.

QCR (NASDAQ:QCRH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The bank reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.61. QCR had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 20.80%. The company had revenue of $103.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.57 million. On average, analysts anticipate that QCR will post 5.64 earnings per share for the current year.

QCR Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. QCR's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QCRH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on QCR from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on QCR from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on QCR from $60.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th.

About QCR

QCR Holdings, Inc, a multi-bank holding company, provides commercial and consumer banking, and trust and asset management services. The company's deposit products include noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, time, and brokered deposits. It also provides various commercial and retail lending/leasing, and investment services to corporations, partnerships, individuals, and government agencies.