First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $19.12 and traded as high as $23.30. First Community shares last traded at $22.86, with a volume of 16,839 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of First Community from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st.

First Community Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $21.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.17. The company has a market capitalization of $171.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72 and a beta of 0.41.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. First Community had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 11.60%. The firm had revenue of $26.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.65 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. Analysts expect that First Community Co. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 29th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in First Community in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in First Community during the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in First Community by 41.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,373 shares of the bank’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of First Community in the second quarter valued at $190,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of First Community in the first quarter valued at about $239,000. 61.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Community Company Profile

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.