First Mid Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMBH) Short Interest Update

First Mid Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMBH) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 232,325 shares, a drop of 25.0% from the February 26th total of 309,952 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 121,975 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of First Mid Bancshares from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First Mid Bancshares in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered First Mid Bancshares from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.75.

First Mid Bancshares Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of First Mid Bancshares stock opened at $40.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. First Mid Bancshares has a 52-week low of $27.58 and a 52-week high of $44.85. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.45 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $41.82 and a 200 day moving average of $39.65.

First Mid Bancshares (NASDAQ:FMBH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The bank reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.06. The firm had revenue of $90.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.86 million. First Mid Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 19.69%. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Mid Bancshares will post 3.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Mid Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. First Mid Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Mid Bancshares

In other news, EVP Bradley L. Beesley sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.00, for a total value of $264,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $544,632. The trade was a 32.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 7.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Mid Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Mid Bancshares by 147.2% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 848 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 505 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in shares of First Mid Bancshares in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in First Mid Bancshares during the first quarter worth about $42,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in First Mid Bancshares by 272.5% during the third quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the bank’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in First Mid Bancshares by 32.0% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,710 shares of the bank’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. 47.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Mid Bancshares Company Profile

First Mid Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FMBH), headquartered in Mattoon, Illinois, is a financial services holding company that offers a comprehensive suite of banking products and services through its main subsidiary, First Mid Bank & Trust. The company’s primary business activities include commercial and retail banking, mortgage origination and servicing, wealth management and trust administration, as well as treasury and cash management solutions.

Through its branch network, First Mid provides consumer deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and online banking services.