Short Interest in Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) Rises By 9.6%

Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 313,400 shares, a growth of 9.6% from the August 31st total of 286,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 94,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FMNB has been the topic of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $15.00 price target (up from $14.00) on shares of Farmers National Banc in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Farmers National Banc from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.67.

Farmers National Banc Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FMNB traded down $0.45 on Tuesday, reaching $14.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 115,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 95,929. Farmers National Banc has a 52-week low of $10.38 and a 52-week high of $16.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.35. The company has a market cap of $550.86 million, a P/E ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 0.82.

Farmers National Banc (NASDAQ:FMNB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The bank reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33. Farmers National Banc had a net margin of 19.50% and a return on equity of 14.55%. The firm had revenue of $66.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.15 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Farmers National Banc will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers National Banc Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.64%. Farmers National Banc’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Insider Transactions at Farmers National Banc

In other news, EVP Mark J. Wenick sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.88, for a total transaction of $31,760.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $430,602.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Mark J. Wenick sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.88, for a total transaction of $31,760.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $430,602.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy F. Shaffer sold 1,799 shares of Farmers National Banc stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $26,985.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,282 shares in the company, valued at $529,230. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers National Banc

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the 1st quarter valued at about $73,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the 4th quarter valued at about $89,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the 1st quarter valued at about $140,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its position in Farmers National Banc by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 13,245 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $165,000 after buying an additional 997 shares during the period. Finally, Busey Bank bought a new stake in shares of Farmers National Banc in the 2nd quarter valued at about $224,000. 38.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Farmers National Banc Company Profile

Farmers National Banc Corp. operates as a bank holding company for The Farmers National Bank of Canfield engages in the banking, trust, retirement consulting, insurance, and financial management businesses. It offers commercial and retail banking services, including checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; commercial, mortgage and installment, and home equity loans; home equity lines of credit, night depository, safe deposit box, money order, bank check, automated teller machine, Internet banking, travel card, E bond transaction, brokerage, and other services.