Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 979,316 shares, an increase of 27.7% from the March 15th total of 767,086 shares. Approximately 2.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 467,602 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on FMNB. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Farmers National Banc from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Farmers National Banc from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Farmers National Banc in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Farmers National Banc from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.50.

Farmers National Banc Trading Up 1.9%

NASDAQ FMNB traded up $0.26 on Friday, reaching $14.17. The stock had a trading volume of 338,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 336,549. The firm has a market capitalization of $534.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Farmers National Banc has a 12-month low of $12.12 and a 12-month high of $15.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.45.

Farmers National Banc (NASDAQ:FMNB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $49.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $50.70 million. Farmers National Banc had a net margin of 19.50% and a return on equity of 13.03%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Farmers National Banc will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers National Banc Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Farmers National Banc’s payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Farmers National Banc

In related news, Director Edward Muransky bought 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $12.74 per share, for a total transaction of $509,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 196,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,497,294.80. This trade represents a 25.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 41,672 shares of company stock worth $530,974. Insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Farmers National Banc

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the third quarter valued at approximately $795,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Farmers National Banc by 6.4% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,227 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co purchased a new stake in Farmers National Banc in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Farmers National Banc by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 42,083 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the period. Finally, Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Farmers National Banc by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 374,090 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 39,539 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 38.72% of the company’s stock.

About Farmers National Banc

Farmers National Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Farmers National Bank, a community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Ada, Ohio. The company provides a comprehensive suite of banking services through a network of branches serving rural and small-town markets across central Ohio. Its local decision-making model emphasizes personalized customer service and close ties to the communities it serves.

The company’s primary business activities include the origination of commercial loans, consumer installment loans, agricultural financing, and residential mortgages.