SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded SB Financial Group from “hold” to “buy,” signaling improved sentiment on the stock.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.63 versus $0.60 expected and revenue of $17.42 million versus $12.60 million forecast.
• Institutional investors have been active in the name, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 66.67% of SB Financial Group’s shares and several firms adding new positions.

SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

SB Financial Group Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of SBFG opened at $22.28 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $21.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.29. The stock has a market cap of $139.92 million, a PE ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 0.20. SB Financial Group has a 12 month low of $17.10 and a 12 month high of $23.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

SB Financial Group (NASDAQ:SBFG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $17.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.60 million. SB Financial Group had a return on equity of 11.65% and a net margin of 17.22%. Equities analysts forecast that SB Financial Group will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in SB Financial Group by 98.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 148,786 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,842,000 after purchasing an additional 73,771 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in SB Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $524,000. Valmark Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in SB Financial Group in the third quarter valued at about $439,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in SB Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $384,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new position in SB Financial Group in the first quarter valued at about $350,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.67% of the company's stock.

About SB Financial Group

SB Financial Group, Inc NASDAQ: SBFG is the bank holding company for Star Financial Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the company offers a broad portfolio of commercial and consumer banking products, including deposit accounts, lending solutions, mortgage origination and servicing, and cash management services.

In its commercial banking division, SB Financial Group provides working capital loans, equipment financing, commercial real estate lending and treasury management solutions designed for small- and mid-sized businesses.

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