Capital City Bank Group (NASDAQ:CCBG) Short Interest Up 23.6% in March

Capital City Bank Group (NASDAQ:CCBG) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 222,633 shares, a growth of 23.6% from the February 26th total of 180,106 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 107,513 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CCBG. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Capital City Bank Group by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 11,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $502,000 after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Capital City Bank Group by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 38,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,619,000 after buying an additional 3,584 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Capital City Bank Group by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 547,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,323,000 after buying an additional 133,923 shares in the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new stake in shares of Capital City Bank Group during the 4th quarter worth $273,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Capital City Bank Group by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,846,000 after acquiring an additional 22,315 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 44.59% of the company’s stock.

Capital City Bank Group Price Performance

CCBG stock opened at $43.02 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.88 and a 200-day moving average of $42.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $737.79 million, a P/E ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.32. Capital City Bank Group has a 12 month low of $32.38 and a 12 month high of $46.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Capital City Bank Group (NASDAQ:CCBG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.09). Capital City Bank Group had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 21.47%.The firm had revenue of $63.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.65 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Capital City Bank Group will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Capital City Bank Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. This is a positive change from Capital City Bank Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Capital City Bank Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on CCBG shares. Capital One Financial set a $45.00 target price on shares of Capital City Bank Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Capital City Bank Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research cut Capital City Bank Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Capital City Bank Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $47.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Capital City Bank Group in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Capital City Bank Group Company Profile

Capital City Bank Group, Inc is a Florida‐based bank holding company headquartered in Tallahassee. As the parent of Capital City Bank, it offers a full suite of financial services through a network of community banking offices. The company traces its origins to the late 19th century, reflecting more than a century of continuous operation in its home market.

Through its banking subsidiary, Capital City Bank Group provides retail and commercial banking products, including checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgage financing, and treasury management services.