Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 144,240 shares, a growth of 36.3% from the December 15th total of 105,863 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,088 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 9.6 days. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 15,088 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 9.6 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Finward Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Finward Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.00.

Finward Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of Finward Bancorp stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Monday, hitting $35.91. 44,383 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,392. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. Finward Bancorp has a 12 month low of $26.12 and a 12 month high of $39.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $36.62 and its 200 day moving average is $32.76. The stock has a market cap of $155.49 million, a PE ratio of 18.80 and a beta of 0.31.

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $15.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.80 million. Finward Bancorp had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 5.27%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Finward Bancorp will post 0.9 EPS for the current year.

Finward Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 17th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 17th. Finward Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 25.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Finward Bancorp

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FNWD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Finward Bancorp by 63.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Finward Bancorp by 14.5% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 403,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,955,000 after buying an additional 51,038 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Finward Bancorp by 98.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Finward Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in Finward Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $1,117,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.59% of the company’s stock.

About Finward Bancorp

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ: FNWD) is the bank holding company for Finward Bank, a community-focused financial institution serving businesses and individuals across Pennsylvania and Delaware. Through a network of full-service branches and a robust digital banking platform, Finward Bank delivers a range of personal and commercial banking solutions designed to meet the needs of local customers.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking accounts, savings accounts and time deposits, as well as a variety of lending solutions.