X Financial (NYSE:XYF) Shares Up 5.5% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• X Financial's shares increased by 5.5%, reaching a last trading price of $14.78, although trading volume was significantly below average.
• The company recently declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.28 per share, representing a 330.0% yield, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.25.
• Wall Street analysts have downgraded X Financial’s rating from "strong-buy" to "buy," reflecting a shift in market sentiment.

X Financial Sponsored ADR (NYSE:XYF - Get Free Report) shares were up 5.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $14.55 and last traded at $14.78. Approximately 61,533 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 283,134 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of X Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd.

X Financial Stock Up 0.1%

The stock has a market cap of $620.10 million, a P/E ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.30. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $14.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.10.

X Financial (NYSE:XYF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 18th. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. X Financial had a return on equity of 25.42% and a net margin of 23.30%.The firm had revenue of $317.32 million during the quarter.

X Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 26th. This is a positive change from X Financial's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.25. This represents a yield of 330.0%. X Financial's payout ratio is 8.99%.

Institutional Trading of X Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in X Financial by 29.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 107,272 shares of the company's stock worth $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 24,395 shares during the period. Hhlr Advisors LTD. acquired a new stake in X Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $720,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of X Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $697,000. 1.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

X Financial Company Profile

X Financial provides personal finance services in the People's Republic of China. The company offers services as an online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors or institutional funding partners. Its loan products include Xiaoying credit loan, which consists of Xiaoying card loan; and Xiaoying preferred loan to small business owners.