Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 1,224 Shares of Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 80,885 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Middlefield Banc were worth $2,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MBCN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Middlefield Banc by 127.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,180 shares of the bank’s stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 6,832 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Middlefield Banc by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,265 shares of the bank’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the period. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. lifted its holdings in Middlefield Banc by 1,250.6% during the fourth quarter. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 19,462 shares of the bank’s stock worth $546,000 after acquiring an additional 18,021 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Middlefield Banc by 69.2% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 16,916 shares of the bank’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 6,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of Middlefield Banc by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 15,220 shares of the bank’s stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536 shares during the period. 31.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Middlefield Banc Stock Down 3.2%

Middlefield Banc stock opened at $29.03 on Thursday. Middlefield Banc Corp. has a twelve month low of $20.61 and a twelve month high of $34.00. The stock has a market cap of $234.59 million, a P/E ratio of 15.12 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $26.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $18.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.23 million. Middlefield Banc had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 7.47%. As a group, analysts expect that Middlefield Banc Corp. will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Middlefield Banc Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Middlefield Banc’s payout ratio is presently 41.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MBCN has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Middlefield Banc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Hovde Group reduced their target price on Middlefield Banc from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

Middlefield Banc Profile

Middlefield Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, small business owners, and retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, various consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers' checks.