Short Interest in Auburn National Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:AUBN) Grows By 113.7%

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 113.7% to 8,328 shares as of March 13 (about 0.3% of outstanding shares) with a short-interest ratio of 3.6 days.
• The board approved a $5.0 million share repurchase program, authorizing buybacks of up to 6.1% of the company's stock.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.27 was paid on March 25 (annualized $1.08), implying a yield of 4.7% and a dividend payout ratio of 51.92%.

Auburn National Bancorporation, Inc. (NASDAQ:AUBN - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 8,328 shares, an increase of 113.7% from the February 26th total of 3,897 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,285 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Auburn National Bancorporation

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Auburn National Bancorporation by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,105 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 935 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Auburn National Bancorporation by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 25,632 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $691,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Auburn National Bancorporation by 2.1% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 28,693 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $743,000 after acquiring an additional 588 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Auburn National Bancorporation by 1.0% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 41,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truffle Hound Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Auburn National Bancorporation by 65.6% during the third quarter. Truffle Hound Capital LLC now owns 46,580 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 18,460 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Auburn National Bancorporation in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Auburn National Bancorporation Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AUBN opened at $22.95 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $80.19 million, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.42. Auburn National Bancorporation has a twelve month low of $19.00 and a twelve month high of $29.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.74 and a 200 day moving average of $25.55.

Auburn National Bancorporation (NASDAQ:AUBN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $7.73 million for the quarter. Auburn National Bancorporation had a return on equity of 8.27% and a net margin of 16.53%.

Auburn National Bancorporation announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 17th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 6.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Auburn National Bancorporation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Auburn National Bancorporation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.92%.

About Auburn National Bancorporation

Auburn National Bancorporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Auburn, Alabama. It operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, AuburnBank, providing a comprehensive suite of financial services to individuals, businesses and municipalities throughout central and eastern Alabama.

The company's retail banking offerings include checking and savings accounts, consumer and mortgage lending, online and mobile banking, and wealth management services. On the commercial side, AuburnBank delivers business checking, commercial real estate financing, equipment loans and cash management solutions tailored to support the growth and operational needs of local enterprises.

Serving primarily the Auburn–Opelika metropolitan area and surrounding counties, Auburn National Bancorporation leverages deep community ties and regional expertise to craft banking solutions that meet the unique needs of its customers.

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