Short Interest in Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Decreases By 20.5%

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 34,671 shares, a drop of 20.5% from the January 29th total of 43,588 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,122 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.8 days. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,122 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.8 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Sound Financial Bancorp by 4,863.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 943 shares of the bank’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 168.3% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,387 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $101,000. 68.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Sound Financial Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of SFBC stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $42.60. 499 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,958. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 52 week low of $42.40 and a 52 week high of $51.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.48 million, a P/E ratio of 15.38 and a beta of 0.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $43.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The firm had revenue of $9.53 million during the quarter.

Sound Financial Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Sound Financial Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.32%.

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.