Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Short Interest Up 33.8% in December

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 32,138 shares, an increase of 33.8% from the November 30th total of 24,021 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,273 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.4 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 7,273 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.4 days.

Sound Financial Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of SFBC stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.62. 1,679 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,809. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 52-week low of $42.75 and a 52-week high of $55.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $44.46 and a 200 day moving average of $45.81. The company has a market cap of $112.09 million, a PE ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 0.10.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The bank reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.48% and a net margin of 10.97%.The company had revenue of $9.82 million for the quarter.

Sound Financial Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 28.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 4,863.2% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 943 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in Sound Financial Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp during the second quarter worth $54,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp during the second quarter worth $101,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 52.6% in the second quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 9,600 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $441,000 after buying an additional 3,307 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.85% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About Sound Financial Bancorp

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of Sound Community Bank, a community‐oriented financial institution headquartered in University Place, Washington. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a broad array of banking and financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients throughout the Puget Sound region. Emphasizing relationship banking, Sound Financial Bancorp seeks to support local economic development by offering personalized service and community engagement.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a full spectrum of lending solutions.