First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – What’s Next?

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday. 201,500 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 129% from the average daily volume of 87,830 shares. The stock last traded at $47.94 and had previously closed at $46.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Community Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Community Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

First Community Bancshares Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.78. The firm has a market cap of $902.39 million, a PE ratio of 14.42 and a beta of 0.49.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The bank reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $48.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.19 million. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.98% and a net margin of 29.48%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that First Community Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Community Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. First Community Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is 39.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Community Bancshares

In other news, SVP Sarah W. Harmon sold 4,329 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.21, for a total value of $213,030.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 8,141 shares in the company, valued at $400,618.61. This trade represents a 34.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community Bancshares

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FCBC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in First Community Bancshares during the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,713,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in First Community Bancshares during the second quarter worth about $2,320,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 81.0% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 55,188 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,291,000 after purchasing an additional 24,694 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of First Community Bancshares in the second quarter valued at about $1,613,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Community Bancshares by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 35,959 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. 34.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About First Community Bancshares

First Community Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Bluefield, Virginia. Its principal subsidiary, First Community Bank, provides community banking services to individuals, families, businesses and organizations.

The bank offers a range of deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit. Its lending activities include residential mortgages, home equity loans, consumer loans, commercial and industrial financing, commercial real estate loans and other credit products for businesses and communities.

First Community Bank also provides services such as online and mobile banking, treasury management, investment and wealth management services, and other financial solutions.