Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) Short Interest Up 48.8% in February

Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 6,100 shares, a growth of 48.8% from the February 13th total of 4,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRAF traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $35.90. The company had a trading volume of 10,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,092. The company has a market capitalization of $158.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42 and a beta of 0.25. Franklin Financial Services has a 1 year low of $25.11 and a 1 year high of $38.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $34.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.85.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 9.64%.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Franklin Financial Services’s payout ratio is 51.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gregory A. Duffey bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.90 per share, for a total transaction of $101,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 23,782 shares in the company, valued at $806,209.80. This represents a 14.44 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Craig W. Best bought 6,756 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $37.00 per share, for a total transaction of $249,972.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the president now owns 15,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $577,422. This trade represents a 76.34 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 9,786 shares of company stock worth $352,784. 6.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $965,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 62,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,883,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in shares of Franklin Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Fourthstone LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 440,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,280,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 8,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 2,127 shares during the last quarter. 24.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Franklin Financial Services

Franklin Financial Services Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Farmers and Merchants Trust Company of Chambersburg that provides commercial, retail banking, and trust services to businesses, individuals, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, money management, and time deposit accounts, as well as demand deposits.