First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) Short Interest Down 62.3% in January

First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) was the target of a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 66,746 shares, a drop of 62.3% from the December 31st total of 176,821 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 53,909 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 53,909 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rosenthal Henry Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of First Community during the third quarter worth $997,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Community in the second quarter worth about $992,000. Fourthstone LLC increased its position in First Community by 193.6% in the second quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 559,185 shares of the bank’s stock worth $13,633,000 after purchasing an additional 368,747 shares during the period. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in First Community by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 180,517 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,401,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in First Community during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. 61.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Community Stock Performance

First Community stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $28.96. The company had a trading volume of 19,517 shares, compared to its average volume of 69,983. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $222.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $29.54 and a 200-day moving average of $27.81. First Community has a 52 week low of $19.46 and a 52 week high of $31.50.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $20.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.25 million. First Community had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 12.46%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that First Community will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Community Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research downgraded First Community from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Community in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.50.

Key Headlines Impacting First Community

Here are the key news stories impacting First Community this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat: FCCO reported $0.69 EPS vs. $0.68 consensus and revenue of $20.6M vs. $20.25M; net income was $4.83M for Q4 and $19.205M for the year, with a 12.46% ROE and 16.69% net margin — results that justify the positive market reaction. PR Newswire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared: the board approved a $0.16 quarterly cash dividend (annualized yield ~2.2%), record/ex-dividend date Feb 10 and payable Feb 24 — a cash return that supports income-focused investors. PR Newswire: Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/commentary support: recent coverage highlights strong asset quality and maintains a buy view, which likely adds conviction to the rally. Seeking Alpha: Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Evidence of short-covering earlier in January: short interest fell to 66,746 shares as of Jan 15 (down ~62% from Dec 31), lowering short-pressure and removing a potential headwind for the share price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks coverage and analysis offer context on Q4 metrics and the beat vs. estimates — useful for investors digging into the details but not new catalyst information. Zacks: Tops Q4 Estimates Zacks: Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings commentary and previews (e.g., Yahoo Finance) circulated earlier and provided expectations context but did not add a new catalyst. Yahoo Finance: Q4 Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting anomaly on Jan 28 shows 0 shares (NaN change and 0.0 days-to-cover) — treat that data point as unreliable; earlier Jan 15 data showing a sharp decline is the more meaningful indicator of short-covering.

First Community Company Profile

First Community Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: FCCO) is the bank holding company for First Community Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a comprehensive range of financial services to individuals, small businesses and larger commercial clients. Its operations are focused on community banking, with an emphasis on personalized relationship management and local decision-making.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts, as well as consumer and commercial lending solutions.