Short Interest in Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) Declines By 20.0%

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) saw a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,000 shares, a decrease of 20.0% from the January 31st total of 27,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 22,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.74. 49,904 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 27,742. The company has a market cap of $142.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.94. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a 52 week low of $12.32 and a 52 week high of $18.37.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.15. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 5.68%. Equities analysts expect that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.1425 dividend. This represents a $0.57 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Eagle Bancorp Montana’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Eagle Bancorp Montana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kenneth M. Walsh sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.11, for a total transaction of $151,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 126,033 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,904,358.63. This trade represents a 7.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EBMT. Rhino Investment Partners Inc raised its holdings in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc now owns 203,826 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,125,000 after acquiring an additional 32,074 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 23.7% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 108,715 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,667,000 after acquiring an additional 20,812 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 4th quarter worth $308,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its holdings in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 220,349 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,378,000 after acquiring an additional 19,907 shares during the period. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 4th quarter worth $270,000. Institutional investors own 35.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Company Profile

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana that provides various retail banking products and services to small businesses and individuals in Montana. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts.