FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSBW) was the target of a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 58,683 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the December 15th total of 70,778 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 12,053 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 12,053 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FSBW shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of FS Bancorp in a research note on Friday, January 9th. DA Davidson set a $41.00 price objective on FS Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Insider Transactions at FS Bancorp

In other FS Bancorp news, Director Marina Cofer-Wildsmith sold 2,371 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $94,840.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,356 shares of company stock valued at $254,241. Insiders own 12.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of FS Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of FS Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $74,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in FS Bancorp by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 83,159 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,273,000 after acquiring an additional 1,760 shares during the last quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in FS Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth about $206,000. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its holdings in FS Bancorp by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 385,451 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,193,000 after purchasing an additional 5,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in FS Bancorp by 7.2% in the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 24,225 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 63.88% of the company’s stock.

FS Bancorp Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of FSBW opened at $41.59 on Wednesday. FS Bancorp has a 52-week low of $34.61 and a 52-week high of $44.22. The business’s fifty day moving average is $41.26 and its 200-day moving average is $40.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market cap of $312.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 0.72.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The bank reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $39.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.15 million. FS Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.84% and a net margin of 15.10%. Equities analysts anticipate that FS Bancorp will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About FS Bancorp

FS Bancorp, Inc (NASDAQ: FSBW) is a bank holding company headquartered in Illinois that provides community banking services in the Midwestern United States. Through its wholly owned banking subsidiary, the company offers a full suite of deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, money market instruments, certificates of deposit and online banking platforms.

On the lending side, FS Bancorp extends commercial and industrial loans, residential mortgage financing, consumer credit and agricultural lending.