CB Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBFV) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

CB Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBFV) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 49,700 shares, a growth of 76.9% from the February 13th total of 28,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.2 days. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on CB Financial Services in a research report on Thursday, December 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

CB Financial Services Trading Up 0.4 %

CB Financial Services stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $27.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,591. CB Financial Services has a 1 year low of $20.75 and a 1 year high of $33.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.93 million, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $28.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.90.

CB Financial Services (NASDAQ:CBFV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.12). CB Financial Services had a return on equity of 7.45% and a net margin of 15.43%. On average, analysts anticipate that CB Financial Services will post 1.82 EPS for the current year.

CB Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. CB Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.84%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Mark E. Fox sold 3,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.50, for a total transaction of $111,447.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,414 shares in the company, valued at $359,541. This trade represents a 23.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CB Financial Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in CB Financial Services by 1,093.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,807 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 3,488 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in CB Financial Services by 12.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,373 shares of the bank’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 943 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co acquired a new position in CB Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $266,000. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in CB Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $301,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CB Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $323,000. 33.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CB Financial Services

CB Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank that provides various banking products and services for individuals and businesses in southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. The company's primary deposit products include demand deposits, NOW accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts, as well as time deposit products.