First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) Short Interest Update

First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 81,211 shares, an increase of 21.7% from the January 15th total of 66,746 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 88,041 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 88,041 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days.

First Community Trading Up 0.4%

FCCO stock opened at $29.92 on Tuesday. First Community has a 12 month low of $19.46 and a 12 month high of $31.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $29.88 and its 200 day moving average is $28.28. The company has a market capitalization of $230.08 million, a PE ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $20.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.25 million. First Community had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 12.96%. On average, research analysts anticipate that First Community will post 2.28 EPS for the current year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. First Community’s dividend payout ratio is 25.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fourthstone LLC lifted its position in shares of First Community by 193.6% in the 2nd 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. Maltese Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Community by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC now owns 252,500 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,487,000 after buying an additional 12,769 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in First Community by 115.5% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 195,527 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,411,000 after buying an additional 104,796 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in First Community by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 185,022 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,486,000 after buying an additional 12,902 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in First Community by 103.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 174,732 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,260,000 after acquiring an additional 88,807 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FCCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Community in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Hovde Group lifted their price target on shares of First Community from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

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.