Short Interest in Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB) Expands By 15.6%

Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 164,600 shares, an increase of 15.6% from the December 15th total of 142,400 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 59,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Civista Bancshares Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of CIVB traded up $0.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $20.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 54,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,654. Civista Bancshares has a twelve month low of $13.60 and a twelve month high of $23.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $328.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a fifty day moving average of $21.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.92.

Civista Bancshares (NASDAQ:CIVB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $62.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.60 million. Civista Bancshares had a net margin of 13.12% and a return on equity of 8.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Civista Bancshares will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Civista Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. Civista Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on CIVB. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Civista Bancshares from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Hovde Group raised shares of Civista Bancshares from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $22.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Civista Bancshares from $18.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Civista Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.75.

Institutional Trading of Civista Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Civista Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $926,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Civista Bancshares by 130.8% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 63,456 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,131,000 after purchasing an additional 35,968 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Civista Bancshares during the second quarter valued at $323,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Civista Bancshares by 40.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 51,521 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $917,000 after purchasing an additional 14,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Civista Bancshares by 90.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 25,438 shares of the bank’s stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 12,059 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.10% of the company’s stock.

Civista Bancshares Company Profile

Civista Bancshares, Inc operates as the financial holding company for Civista Bank that provides community banking services. It collects a range of customer deposits; and offers commercial and agriculture, commercial and residential real estate, farm real estate, real estate construction, consumer, and other loans, as well as letters of credit.