First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) saw a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,700 shares, a growth of 9.5% from the December 15th total of 11,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

First Guaranty Bancshares Stock Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ FGBI traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $10.82. The company had a trading volume of 5,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,573. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.20 and its 200 day moving average is $10.94. The company has a market capitalization of $135.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.42. First Guaranty Bancshares has a fifty-two week low of $8.39 and a fifty-two week high of $15.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

First Guaranty Bancshares Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. First Guaranty Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 4.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FGBI. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the second quarter valued at about $138,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in First Guaranty Bancshares by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 40,338 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 2,010 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC purchased a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $366,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 68,788 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 5,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.52% of the company’s stock.

First Guaranty Bancshares Company Profile

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc operates as the holding company for First Guaranty Bank that provides commercial banking services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products, including personal and business checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as time deposits to consumers, small businesses, and municipalities.