Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) Short Interest Up 37.3% in March

Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 67,400 shares, a growth of 37.3% from the March 15th total of 49,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company's stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norwood Financial

In related news, Director Ronald R. Schmalzle purchased 2,563 shares of Norwood Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.43 per share, for a total transaction of $67,740.09. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at $400,890.24. The trade was a 20.33 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norwood Financial

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NWFL. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Norwood Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $16,814,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Norwood Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $4,840,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norwood Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 166,450 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,529,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Norwood Financial by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 106,786 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,905,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Norwood Financial by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 99,889 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 28.08% of the company's stock.

Norwood Financial Stock Performance

NWFL stock traded down $0.48 on Thursday, hitting $24.19. The company had a trading volume of 806 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,690. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Norwood Financial has a 12-month low of $21.25 and a 12-month high of $34.50. The stock has a market cap of $224.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2,453.00 and a beta of 0.54. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $24.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.86.

Norwood Financial (NASDAQ:NWFL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.60 million. Norwood Financial had a positive return on equity of 8.38% and a negative net margin of 0.16%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Norwood Financial will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norwood Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.13%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Norwood Financial's payout ratio is currently 1,377.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Norwood Financial in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Norwood Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $25.50 price objective on shares of Norwood Financial in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Norwood Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 18th.

Norwood Financial Company Profile

Norwood Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Wayne Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts a range of deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing transaction accounts, and statement savings and money market accounts, as well as certificate of deposits.