AlphaQuest LLC Purchases 2,436 Shares of Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. (NYSE:NIC)

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. (NYSE:NIC) by 83.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,358 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,436 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Nicolet Bankshares were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Nicolet Bankshares during the 4th quarter worth $128,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Nicolet Bankshares in the 3rd quarter worth $155,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nicolet Bankshares during the third quarter worth $264,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Nicolet Bankshares by 858.0% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 2,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Nicolet Bankshares by 31.0% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert Bruce Atwell sold 3,102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.65, for a total value of $364,950.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 33,816 shares in the company, valued at $3,978,452.40. This represents a 8.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Merkatoris sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.26, for a total transaction of $34,578.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 81,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,441,868.68. This trade represents a 0.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,527 shares of company stock worth $996,674 over the last quarter. 16.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NIC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Nicolet Bankshares from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Maxim Group boosted their price objective on shares of Nicolet Bankshares from $124.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Nicolet Bankshares from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Nicolet Bankshares Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE NIC opened at $110.45 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $112.32 and its 200-day moving average is $106.33. Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. has a one year low of $75.24 and a one year high of $121.52. The firm has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.75 and a beta of 0.76.

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.23. Nicolet Bankshares had a net margin of 23.83% and a return on equity of 10.95%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nicolet Bankshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Nicolet Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.95%.

Nicolet Bankshares Profile

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Nicolet National Bank that provides banking products and services for businesses and individuals in Wisconsin and Michigan. The company accepts checking, savings, and money market accounts; various certificates of deposit; and individual retirement accounts.