Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) Short Interest Up 9.0% in December

Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 49,700 shares, an increase of 9.0% from the November 30th total of 45,600 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 19,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Ames National Stock Performance

Ames National stock remained flat at $16.43 during trading hours on Tuesday. 17,623 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,599. The company has a market capitalization of $147.74 million, a P/E ratio of 16.60 and a beta of 0.56. Ames National has a fifty-two week low of $15.69 and a fifty-two week high of $22.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.16 and a 200 day moving average of $18.40.

Ames National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Ames National’s payout ratio is 80.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ames National

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in Ames National in the 2nd quarter valued at about $807,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Ames National by 299.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 8,557 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Ames National by 114.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 7,650 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ames National by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 204,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,731,000 after acquiring an additional 4,843 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ames National by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 37,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $763,000 after buying an additional 1,737 shares during the period. 26.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ames National Company Profile

Ames National Corporation operates as a multi-bank holding company that provides banking products and services primarily in Boone, Clarke, Hancock, Marshall, Polk, Story, and Union counties in central, north central, and south-central Iowa. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts; and time deposits, such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit.