Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) Short Interest Down 9.8% in July

Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) was the target of a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 65,000 shares, a decline of 9.8% from the June 30th total of 72,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 13,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Ames National Stock Performance

Shares of Ames National stock traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.22. 5,168 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,401. Ames National has a 52 week low of $15.01 and a 52 week high of $22.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.89. The company has a market cap of $190.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86 and a beta of 0.57.

Ames National Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.09%. Ames National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.30%.

Institutional Trading of Ames National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ATLO. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ames National by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 37,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $763,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ames National by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 489,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,886,000 after purchasing an additional 2,965 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Ames National by 75.7% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,251 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Ames National by 2,044.0% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,533 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ames National in the fourth quarter worth $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Ames National from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, June 27th.

Ames National Company Profile

Ames National Corporation operates as a multi-bank holding company that provides banking products and services primarily in Boone, Clarke, Hancock, Marshall, Polk, Story, and Union counties in central, north central, and south-central Iowa. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts; and time deposits, such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit.