USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) Announces Earnings Results

USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.07), Zacks reports. USCB Financial had a net margin of 20.23% and a return on equity of 14.36%.

USCB Financial Price Performance

USCB Financial stock traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $20.48. 50,304 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,200. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The business has a fifty day moving average of $18.64 and a 200 day moving average of $17.72. USCB Financial has a 1-year low of $15.39 and a 1-year high of $20.79. The company has a market capitalization of $370.89 million, a PE ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 0.60.

USCB Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from USCB Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. USCB Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on USCB shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of USCB Financial from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of USCB Financial in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $22.00.

Insider Activity at USCB Financial

In other news, Director W Kirk Wycoff sold 39,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.68, for a total value of $728,520.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,856,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,675,422.48. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 179,623 shares of company stock valued at $3,303,784. 49.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On USCB Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in USCB Financial by 66.2% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 883 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of USCB Financial by 100.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,854 shares during the last quarter. Salzhauer Michael raised its position in shares of USCB Financial by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Salzhauer Michael now owns 31,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after acquiring an additional 2,460 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in USCB Financial by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 51,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $894,000 after acquiring an additional 3,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in USCB Financial by 2,081.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 4,017 shares during the last quarter. 61.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

USCB Financial Company Profile

USCB Financial (NASDAQ: USCB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, serving as the parent company of United Security Bank. Established to support community banking in the Midlands region, the company focuses on relationship-driven financial services tailored to both individuals and businesses. As a regional player, USCB Financial emphasizes personalized service through a network of full-service branch offices.

The company’s core business activities include commercial and consumer lending, deposit products and alternative delivery channels.