First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Short Interest Up 9.5% in December

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

First Guaranty Bancshares Trading Up 2.2 %

FGBI traded up $0.23 during trading on Monday, reaching $10.82. 5,316 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,573. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. First Guaranty Bancshares has a one year low of $8.39 and a one year high of $15.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $12.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.36 million, a PE ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.42.

First Guaranty Bancshares Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $138,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position 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 during the period. Fourthstone LLC bought a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $366,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted 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 worth $733,000 after purchasing an additional 5,070 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares in the 4th quarter valued at $122,000. 39.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About First Guaranty Bancshares

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.