Insider Buying: First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) Director Acquires $1,128,578.40 in Stock

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Director Edgar Smith III purchased 208,996 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.40 per share, with a total value of $1,128,578.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 537,266 shares in the company, valued at $2,901,236.40. This trade represents a 63.67% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

First Guaranty Bancshares Stock Up 0.2%

First Guaranty Bancshares stock opened at $5.38 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $82.58 million, a PE ratio of -1.30 and a beta of 0.33. First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $4.31 and a fifty-two week high of $11.22.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The bank reported ($3.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $24.10 million during the quarter. First Guaranty Bancshares had a negative return on equity of 20.76% and a negative net margin of 25.11%. Equities analysts anticipate that First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. will post 0.89 EPS for the current year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. First Guaranty Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently -0.97%.

Institutional Trading of First Guaranty Bancshares

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in First Guaranty Bancshares stock. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 46,048 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 3,742 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.37% of First Guaranty Bancshares worth $355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 39.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised First Guaranty Bancshares from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

About First Guaranty Bancshares

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc is a financial holding company headquartered in Hammond, Louisiana. Through its principal subsidiary, First Guaranty Bank, the company provides a diversified range of commercial and retail banking services. Founded in 1932, First Guaranty Bancshares has grown from a community mutual bank into a publicly traded institution listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker FGBI.

The company’s core business activities encompass traditional deposit products and lending solutions.