Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 58,937 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 11% from the previous session’s volume of 52,912 shares.The stock last traded at $70.8760 and had previously closed at $70.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RBCAA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Republic Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Republic Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Republic Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.00.

Republic Bancorp Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $70.67 and a 200 day moving average of $70.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.55.

Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by ($0.13). Republic Bancorp had a net margin of 25.19% and a return on equity of 12.27%. The company had revenue of $94.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.50 million.

Republic Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.495 dividend. This is an increase from Republic Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Republic Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 29.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Republic Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of RBCAA. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Republic Bancorp by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 265,298 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $19,168,000 after purchasing an additional 26,319 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Republic Bancorp by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 218,872 shares of the bank’s stock worth $15,195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,208 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Republic Bancorp by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 123,097 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $8,492,000 after buying an additional 6,189 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Republic Bancorp by 651.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 78,077 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,708,000 after buying an additional 67,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Republic Bancorp by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 73,735 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,087,000 after buying an additional 6,189 shares in the last quarter. 24.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Republic Bancorp

Republic Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Republic Bank & Trust Company. The company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services tailored to individuals, small businesses and middle‐market clients. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, treasury and cash-management services, mortgage financing, SBA lending and wealth management solutions. Republic Bancorp also supports specialized financing needs through equipment leasing and small business advisory services.

Republic Bancorp’s branch network spans key markets in the U.S.