SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG) Stock Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• SB Financial shares rose above their 50-day moving average, trading as high as $29.91 and last at $29.76, compared with the $29.64 average.
• Analyst sentiment is Moderate Buy, with a consensus price target of $32.00; recent ratings include one Strong Buy and two Holds.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.63, slightly above estimates, and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.165 per share, a 2.2% annualized yield.

SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $29.64 and traded as high as $29.91. SB Financial Group shares last traded at $29.76, with a volume of 16,853 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on SBFG. Brean Capital cut shares of SB Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $32.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded SB Financial Group from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered SB Financial Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $32.00 target price on SB Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, SB Financial Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.00.

SB Financial Group Trading Up 1.9%

The stock has a market cap of $186 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $29.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.86.

SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.01. SB Financial Group had a net margin of 17.17% and a return on equity of 11.46%. The company had revenue of $18.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.80 million. Research analysts expect that SB Financial Group, Inc. will post 2.60 EPS for the current fiscal year.

SB Financial Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.1650 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This is a positive change from SB Financial Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. SB Financial Group's payout ratio is 23.97%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SBFG. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of SB Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,824,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of SB Financial Group by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 197,772 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,153,000 after buying an additional 5,677 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in SB Financial Group in the second quarter worth approximately $4,013,000. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in SB Financial Group in the second quarter worth approximately $3,957,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in SB Financial Group by 6.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,873 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,398,000 after buying an additional 2,852 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.67% of the company's stock.

About SB Financial Group

SB Financial Group, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Defiance, Ohio. Its principal subsidiary, State Bank and Trust Company, provides community banking services to individuals, businesses and organizations. The company offers deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgage lending and other banking services. Through its affiliated businesses, it also provides wealth management and insurance services. SB Financial Group serves communities in northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.