By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ – Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 24,200 shares, an increase of 13.6% from the December 31st total of 21,300 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 27,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on First Business Financial Services from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com cut First Business Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James increased their target price on First Business Financial Services from $52.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their target price on First Business Financial Services from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.25.
View Our Latest Stock Report on First Business Financial Services
First Business Financial Services Trading Up 2.2 %
FBIZ stock traded up $1.16 during trading on Monday, hitting $52.82. 24,373 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,313. First Business Financial Services has a 1 year low of $32.56 and a 1 year high of $53.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.48 and a 200-day moving average of $45.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $438.40 million, a PE ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 0.88.
First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.16. First Business Financial Services had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 16.86%. Analysts predict that First Business Financial Services will post 5.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
First Business Financial Services Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. This is a positive change from First Business Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. First Business Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.16%.
Insider Activity at First Business Financial Services
In other First Business Financial Services news, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $49,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,341 shares in the company, valued at $408,709. This represents a 10.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Corey A. Chambas sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.81, for a total value of $1,952,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 112,750 shares in the company, valued at $5,503,327.50. This represents a 26.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Business Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of First Business Financial Services by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 365,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,682,000 after acquiring an additional 12,194 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in First Business Financial Services by 307.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 24,468 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after buying an additional 18,458 shares in the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its position in First Business Financial Services by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 66,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,040,000 after buying an additional 20,183 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in First Business Financial Services by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 27,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,273,000 after buying an additional 8,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in First Business Financial Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,657,000. Institutional investors own 60.07% of the company’s stock.
First Business Financial Services Company Profile
First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.
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