First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) Short Interest Up 7.4% in June

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 208,600 shares, an increase of 7.4% from the May 31st total of 194,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 30,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days. Currently, 3.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Community from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday.

First Community Trading Up 0.6 %

FCCO traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.61. The company had a trading volume of 35,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 33,363. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.52. The stock has a market cap of $126.73 million, a P/E ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 0.43. First Community has a 52 week low of $15.40 and a 52 week high of $22.00.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The bank reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.34. The firm had revenue of $24.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.83 million. First Community had a net margin of 12.32% and a return on equity of 8.57%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that First Community will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.16%.

Institutional Trading of First Community

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Community during the fourth quarter valued at about $670,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in First Community by 522.1% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 3,465 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 2,908 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC grew its holdings in First Community by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC now owns 290,114 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,246,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in First Community by 4.6% in the first quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 187,046 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 8,275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of First Community by 41.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,373 shares of the bank’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. 61.25% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Community

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.