Short Interest in First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) Grows By 32.0%

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 9,900 shares, an increase of 32.0% from the November 15th total of 7,500 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 15,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.6 days.

First Community Stock Performance

Shares of FCCO stock remained flat at $25.95 on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 182,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,658. First Community has a 12 month low of $15.40 and a 12 month high of $26.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market cap of $198.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $24.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.25.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $26.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.65 million. First Community had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 9.57%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that First Community will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 29th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 29th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. First Community’s payout ratio is 35.50%.

Institutional Trading of First Community

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FCCO. Fourthstone LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Community by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 400,225 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $8,581,000 after purchasing an additional 89,652 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in First Community in the second quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of First Community during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $289,000. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of First Community by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 39,985 shares of the bank’s stock worth $857,000 after buying an additional 12,985 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of First Community in the 2nd quarter valued at $190,000. 61.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Community Company Profile

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.