Short Interest in Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) Expands By 36.1%

Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 41,100 shares, an increase of 36.1% from the January 31st total of 30,200 shares. Approximately 0.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 14,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Norwood Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NWFL traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.17. 10,056 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,473. The company has a market cap of $203.68 million, a P/E ratio of 2,517.00 and a beta of 0.59. Norwood Financial has a twelve month low of $23.50 and a twelve month high of $34.50. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Norwood Financial (NASDAQ:NWFL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.17). Norwood Financial had a positive return on equity of 8.38% and a negative net margin of 0.16%. As a group, analysts forecast that Norwood Financial will post 2.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Norwood Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Norwood Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. Norwood Financial’s payout ratio is currently 12,400.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ronald R. Schmalzle bought 7,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.00 per share, with a total value of $199,992.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 15,510 shares in the company, valued at $403,260. This trade represents a 98.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders purchased a total of 12,255 shares of company stock valued at $319,732 over the last three months. Insiders own 9.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwood Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Norwood Financial by 3.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 20,537 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norwood Financial by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 166,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,529,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in Norwood Financial by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 928 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Norwood Financial by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,926 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in Norwood Financial by 2.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 99,889 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. 28.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NWFL. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Norwood Financial in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Norwood Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Norwood Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

About Norwood Financial

Norwood Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Wayne Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts a range of deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing transaction accounts, and statement savings and money market accounts, as well as certificate of deposits.