Short Interest in Hanmi Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HAFC) Expands By 20.2%

Hanmi Financial Co. (NASDAQ:HAFC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 615,400 shares, a growth of 20.2% from the March 31st total of 511,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 220,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 2.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $27.50 price objective on shares of Hanmi Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $25.75.

Hanmi Financial Stock Up 2.3 %

HAFC traded up $0.53 during trading on Thursday, hitting $23.52. 132,050 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 204,525. Hanmi Financial has a 12-month low of $14.95 and a 12-month high of $27.59. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $22.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $710.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47 and a beta of 0.67.

Hanmi Financial (NASDAQ:HAFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $62.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.45 million. Hanmi Financial had a net margin of 14.45% and a return on equity of 8.64%. Analysts predict that Hanmi Financial will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hanmi Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 5th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.59%. Hanmi Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hanmi Financial

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HAFC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Hanmi Financial by 227.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,076 shares of the bank's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Hanmi Financial by 91.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,426 shares of the bank's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 681 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hanmi Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hanmi Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE acquired a new position in shares of Hanmi Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. 88.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hanmi Financial

Hanmi Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Hanmi Bank that provides business banking products and services in the United States. It offers various deposit products, including noninterest-bearing checking accounts, savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.