First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $45.84 and last traded at $44.9540, with a volume of 4486 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FCBC. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of First Community Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First Community Bancshares in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

First Community Bancshares Trading Down 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of $851.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $43.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.91.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The bank reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.01. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 25.89%.The firm had revenue of $78.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.20 million.

First Community Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. First Community Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in First Community Bancshares by 87.3% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 18,145 shares of the bank’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 8,457 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 4.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,124 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Community Bancshares in the first quarter valued at $976,000. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of First Community Bancshares by 17.4% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 16,659 shares of the bank’s stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 2,468 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 6.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 41,198 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after buying an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.95% of the company’s stock.

About First Community Bancshares

First Community Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FCBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.

The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.