Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Short Interest Down 89.3% in June

Key Points

• Short interest in Sound Financial Bancorp plunged 89.3% in June, falling to 7,373 shares as of June 30 from 68,771 shares two weeks earlier. That left just about 0.3% of the company’s shares sold short.
• CEO Laura Lee Stewart sold 900 shares on June 30 at an average price of $42.60, trimming her ownership by 9.09%. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• The stock traded slightly higher and the company maintained a dividend, with shares up 0.4% to $44.14 and a quarterly payout of $0.21 per share. Sound Financial Bancorp also reported quarterly EPS of $0.61 and revenue of $9.96 million in its latest earnings release.

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 7,373 shares, a decrease of 89.3% from the June 15th total of 68,771 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 29,061 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SFBC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sound Financial Bancorp to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Sound Financial Bancorp from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Sound Financial Bancorp presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Lee Stewart sold 900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.60, for a total transaction of $38,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 9,000 shares in the company, valued at $383,400. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 12.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sound Financial Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 275.4% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 90,346 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,942,000 after purchasing an additional 66,280 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Sound Financial Bancorp by 573.8% in the 4th quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 36,192 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,579,000 after buying an additional 30,821 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Sound Financial Bancorp by 106.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 50,505 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,324,000 after buying an additional 26,059 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Sound Financial Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $271,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Sound Financial Bancorp by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 92,003 shares of the bank's stock worth $4,238,000 after buying an additional 2,880 shares in the last quarter. 68.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sound Financial Bancorp Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ SFBC traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $44.14. 10,694 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,178. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 52 week low of $40.68 and a 52 week high of $48.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.18. The stock has a market cap of $113.44 million, a PE ratio of 15.06 and a beta of 0.01.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The bank reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $9.96 million for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a net margin of 12.19% and a return on equity of 6.99%.

Sound Financial Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Sound Financial Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.67%.

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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