National Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NKSH) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

National Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:NKSH) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 61,600 shares, a decline of 19.9% from the November 30th total of 76,900 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 12,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.9 days.

National Bankshares Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NKSH traded down $0.84 during trading on Friday, reaching $28.42. The stock had a trading volume of 9,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,545. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.88. National Bankshares has a one year low of $26.50 and a one year high of $35.00. The company has a market capitalization of $180.78 million, a P/E ratio of 19.60 and a beta of 0.59.

National Bankshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from National Bankshares’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.55. National Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 107.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on NKSH shares. StockNews.com cut shares of National Bankshares from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Janney Montgomery Scott raised shares of National Bankshares from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKSH. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in National Bankshares by 71.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,757 shares of the bank’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of National Bankshares by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,500 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Ridge Investment Management acquired a new stake in National Bankshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $211,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in National Bankshares by 290.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,487 shares of the bank’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in National Bankshares during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $226,000. 29.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Bankshares Company Profile

National Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for the National Bank of Blacksburg that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, businesses, non-profits, and local governments. The company accepts interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.