Short Interest in First Capital, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCAP) Rises By 22.2%

Key Points

• Short interest rose 22.2% in April to 76,151 shares (about 2.4% of the stock) and the days-to-cover is high at 17.4 days, indicating increased short activity.
• Recent results and payout: FCAP reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, trades at a PE of 10.23 with a market cap of ~$179.3M, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.31 (annualized yield ~2.3%, DPR ~23.7%).
• Ratings and ownership: Analyst coverage is mixed (one Buy, one Hold; average "Moderate Buy"), while institutional investors like Geode and Farther Finance more than doubled stakes recently, leaving institutions with ~11.65% ownership.

First Capital, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCAP - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 76,151 shares, an increase of 22.2% from the March 31st total of 62,316 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,369 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 17.4 days. Currently, 2.4% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FCAP has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of First Capital from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of First Capital to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Colliers Securities raised shares of First Capital to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Capital has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Capital

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FCAP. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of First Capital by 109.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 78,226 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $3,231,000 after purchasing an additional 40,918 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of First Capital by 101.3% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 49,180 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $2,911,000 after purchasing an additional 24,750 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of First Capital during the 2nd quarter valued at $439,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of First Capital by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,460 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $2,691,000 after purchasing an additional 9,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of First Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $401,000. 11.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Capital Trading Down 5.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:FCAP opened at $53.52 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $51.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.26. First Capital has a 1-year low of $33.73 and a 1-year high of $71.00. The stock has a market cap of $179.29 million, a PE ratio of 10.23 and a beta of 0.62.

First Capital (NASDAQ:FCAP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The savings and loans company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter. First Capital had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 26.03%.The business had revenue of $13.47 million for the quarter.

First Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. First Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.

First Capital Company Profile

First Capital, Inc is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company organized as a business development company (BDC) under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker FCAP, the firm specializes in providing debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. External management is provided by First Capital Asset Management, LLC, leveraging senior credit expertise to structure tailored financing that supports growth initiatives, recapitalizations and acquisitions.

The company's investment portfolio comprises senior secured loans, second-lien and subordinated debt, as well as equity co-investments.

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