First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) Director Mary Clara Capel Sells 1,015 Shares

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) Director Mary Clara Capel sold 1,015 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.05, for a total value of $30,500.75. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,569 shares in the company, valued at $347,648.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

First Bancorp Stock Up 3.1 %

NASDAQ FBNC traded up $0.96 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $31.92. 391,370 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 142,424. The company has a 50 day moving average of $31.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 1.02. First Bancorp has a 52-week low of $26.00 and a 52-week high of $38.51.

First Bancorp (NASDAQ:FBNC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.03). First Bancorp had a net margin of 20.58% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The firm had revenue of $92.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $96.12 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that First Bancorp will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current year.

First Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. First Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded First Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Bancorp

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in First Bancorp by 4.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 33,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,434 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in First Bancorp by 0.4% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,828,306 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $66,038,000 after acquiring an additional 6,907 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in shares of First Bancorp by 1.2% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 33,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of First Bancorp by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,799,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $101,122,000 after purchasing an additional 10,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at about $943,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

About First Bancorp

First Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Bank that provides banking products and services for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses. The company accepts deposit products, such as checking, savings, and money market accounts, as well as time deposits, including certificate of deposits and individual retirement accounts.