SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBFG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,300 shares, an increase of 28.1% from the October 31st total of 5,700 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of SB Financial Group in a research report on Saturday, September 21st. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Institutional Trading of SB Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Princeton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in SB Financial Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $146,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SB Financial Group by 3.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 71,076 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 2,416 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of SB Financial Group by 5.2% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 37,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $776,000 after purchasing an additional 1,876 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in SB Financial Group by 325.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,271 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 972 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.67% of the company’s stock.

SB Financial Group Price Performance

SBFG stock traded down $0.04 on Friday, reaching $21.71. The company had a trading volume of 9,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,599. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average is $19.96 and its 200 day moving average is $16.86. The company has a market cap of $144.37 million, a P/E ratio of 12.48 and a beta of 0.75. SB Financial Group has a 1 year low of $13.01 and a 1 year high of $22.00.

SB Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.145 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $0.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. This is a positive change from SB Financial Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. SB Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.33%.

About SB Financial Group

SB Financial Group, Inc operates as the financial holding company for the State Bank and Trust Company that provides a range of commercial banking and wealth management services to individual and corporate customers primarily in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. It offers checking, savings, money market accounts, as well as time certificates of deposit; and commercial, consumer, agricultural, and residential mortgage loans.