Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO)’s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $22.82 and traded as high as $26.80. Ames National shares last traded at $26.64, with a volume of 43,305 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ames National in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Ames National currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Ames National Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $25.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.87. The firm has a market cap of $236.92 million, a P/E ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 0.39.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter. Ames National had a net margin of 19.36% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The business had revenue of $15.34 million during the quarter.

Ames National Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This is a positive change from Ames National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Ames National’s dividend payout ratio is 44.86%.

Institutional Trading of Ames National

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Ames National by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ames National by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 16,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ames National by 25.3% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 30,142 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 6,094 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Ames National by 210.2% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ames National in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $907,000. Institutional investors own 26.47% of the company’s stock.

About Ames National

Ames National Corporation is the bank holding company for Ames National Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Ames, Iowa. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a range of commercial and consumer banking products designed to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses, farmers and agribusiness clients in central Iowa. Its network of branch offices serves Story County and neighboring counties, supporting local economic development and community initiatives.

The company’s core offerings include checking and savings accounts, money market and certificate of deposit products, along with online and mobile banking services.