Short Interest in Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Expands By 14.7%

Key Points

• Short interest in Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) rose 14.7% in April to 83,058 shares, equal to 3.7% of shares outstanding and a short-interest ratio of 15.5 days (average daily volume 5,345).
• Sound Financial announced a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share (annualized $0.84) with an ex-dividend/record date of May 11 and payment on May 26, implying roughly a 2.0% yield and a payout ratio near 28.7%.
• The bank reported quarterly EPS of $0.61 on $9.96 million in revenue (net margin 12.19%, ROE 7.03%); the stock trades in the low-$40s with a market cap of about $105.8 million and a consensus analyst rating of Hold.

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 83,058 shares, a growth of 14.7% from the March 31st total of 72,430 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,345 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 15.5 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Sound Financial Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SFBC opened at $41.15 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $42.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $105.76 million, a PE ratio of 14.04 and a beta of 0.05. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 1 year low of $40.68 and a 1 year high of $51.70.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The bank reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a net margin of 12.19% and a return on equity of 7.03%. The firm had revenue of $9.96 million during the quarter.

Sound Financial Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Sound Financial Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SFBC has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Sound Financial Bancorp from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sound Financial Bancorp to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Sound Financial Bancorp has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFBC. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 275.4% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 90,346 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,942,000 after acquiring an additional 66,280 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 573.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 36,192 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,579,000 after acquiring an additional 30,821 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 106.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 50,505 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,324,000 after acquiring an additional 26,059 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $271,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 3.2% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 92,003 shares of the bank's stock worth $4,238,000 after acquiring an additional 2,880 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.85% of the company's stock.

Sound Financial Bancorp Company Profile

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of Sound Community Bank, a community‐oriented financial institution headquartered in University Place, Washington. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a broad array of banking and financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients throughout the Puget Sound region. Emphasizing relationship banking, Sound Financial Bancorp seeks to support local economic development by offering personalized service and community engagement.

The company's core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a full spectrum of lending solutions.

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