Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. (NYSE:NIC) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 68,480 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 43% from the previous session’s volume of 48,029 shares.The stock last traded at $113.42 and had previously closed at $110.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NIC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Nicolet Bankshares from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Maxim Group raised their price target 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 upped their price target 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 Price Performance

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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.40.

Nicolet Bankshares (NYSE:NIC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.23. Nicolet Bankshares had a net margin of 23.83% and a return on equity of 10.95%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Nicolet Bankshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Nicolet Bankshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.95%.

Insider Activity at Nicolet Bankshares

In other news, Director Susan L. Merkatoris sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.27, for a total value of $111,270.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 82,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,148,396.86. This trade represents a 1.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Bruce Atwell sold 3,102 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.65, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 8.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,527 shares of company stock worth $996,674 in the last ninety days. 16.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nicolet Bankshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NIC. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Nicolet Bankshares by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 641,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,325,000 after purchasing an additional 21,819 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in Nicolet Bankshares by 0.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 589,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,399,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Nicolet Bankshares by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 381,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,507,000 after acquiring an additional 13,772 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nicolet Bankshares by 1.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 303,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,019,000 after purchasing an additional 4,911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Nicolet Bankshares by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 180,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,907,000 after buying an additional 8,698 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 43.06% of the company’s stock.

About Nicolet Bankshares

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.