SmartFinancial (NASDAQ:SMBK) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Time to Buy?

SmartFinancial, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBK - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 89,018 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 66% from the previous session's volume of 53,577 shares.The stock last traded at $32.64 and had previously closed at $31.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on SMBK. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of SmartFinancial from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of SmartFinancial in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.70.

SmartFinancial Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $568.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.61 and a beta of 0.70. The company's 50 day moving average is $31.38 and its 200-day moving average is $31.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

SmartFinancial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 19th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. SmartFinancial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SmartFinancial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SMBK. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in SmartFinancial by 269.7% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,538 shares of the bank's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in SmartFinancial in the 1st quarter valued at about $61,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in SmartFinancial by 19,400.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,145 shares of the bank's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 2,134 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in SmartFinancial by 282.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,489 shares of the bank's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in SmartFinancial in the 4th quarter valued at about $104,000. 58.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SmartFinancial

SmartFinancial, Inc operates as the bank holding company for SmartBank that provides various financial services to individuals and corporate customers in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. It operates through Commercial Real Estate, Consumer Real Estate, Construction and Land Development, Commercial and Industrial, Leases, and Consumer and Other segments.