Sarah Harmon Sells 4,329 Shares of First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) Stock

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) SVP Sarah Harmon sold 4,329 shares of First Community Bancshares stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.21, for a total value of $213,030.09. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 8,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $400,618.61. This trade represents a 34.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

First Community Bancshares Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ FCBC traded up $0.36 on Monday, reaching $49.55. 82,227 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 82,209. The stock has a market capitalization of $936.99 million, a PE ratio of 15.63 and a beta of 0.48. First Community Bancshares, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.21 and a fifty-two week high of $50.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.18 and a 200 day moving average of $43.22.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. First Community Bancshares had a net margin of 28.84% and a return on equity of 10.67%. The business had revenue of $81.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $51.20 million. As a group, research analysts expect that First Community Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

First Community Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from First Community Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. First Community Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of First Community Bancshares during the second quarter valued at about $68,713,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in First Community Bancshares by 3.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,052,046 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $36,611,000 after purchasing an additional 33,184 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in First Community Bancshares by 5,826.9% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 892,531 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $39,646,000 after purchasing an additional 877,472 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Community Bancshares by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 439,993 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,845,000 after purchasing an additional 17,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in First Community Bancshares by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 417,549 shares of the bank’s stock worth $14,084,000 after purchasing an additional 2,944 shares during the last quarter. 34.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on FCBC shares. Zacks Research raised shares of First Community Bancshares to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on First Community Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded First Community Bancshares from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.