F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) Short Interest Update

F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,530,000 shares, a growth of 8.7% from the March 15th total of 9,690,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,110,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.0 days.

Insider Activity

In other F.N.B. news, Director William B. Campbell purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $13.41 per share, for a total transaction of $33,525.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 145,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,949,653.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On F.N.B.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FNB. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of F.N.B. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. First Command Bank acquired a new stake in F.N.B. in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of F.N.B. during the second quarter worth $35,000. Vestor Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of F.N.B. during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC purchased a new position in F.N.B. in the third quarter valued at $36,000. 79.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

F.N.B. Price Performance

NYSE FNB traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $12.81. 1,861,957 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,089,680. The company has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.90. F.N.B. has a 1 year low of $10.09 and a 1 year high of $14.19.

F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.01. F.N.B. had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 21.77%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.40 EPS. On average, analysts predict that F.N.B. will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

F.N.B. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 6th were given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. F.N.B.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America began coverage on F.N.B. in a report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $15.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on F.N.B. from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Raymond James upped their target price on F.N.B. from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered F.N.B. from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $15.00.

About F.N.B.

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance.