First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Short Interest Up 13.6% in December

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 24,200 shares, an increase of 13.6% from the December 15th total of 21,300 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 27,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Business Financial Services

In related news, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total value of $49,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $408,709. This trade represents a 10.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Corey A. Chambas sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.81, for a total transaction of $1,952,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 112,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,503,327.50. The trade was a 26.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,344 shares of company stock worth $2,275,144 over the last ninety days. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FBIZ. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Business Financial Services during the 3rd quarter worth $125,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in First Business Financial Services during the second quarter worth about $204,000. ERn Financial LLC acquired a new stake in First Business Financial Services during the third quarter worth about $210,000. Creative Planning bought a new position in First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. Finally, Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FBIZ opened at $45.95 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $381.39 million, a P/E ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.87. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.89 and its 200-day moving average is $44.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. First Business Financial Services has a 1-year low of $32.56 and a 1-year high of $52.22.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $66.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.80 million. First Business Financial Services had a return on equity of 13.70% and a net margin of 15.46%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that First Business Financial Services will post 4.78 earnings per share for the current year.

First Business Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 7th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 7th. First Business Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on FBIZ shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on First Business Financial Services from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on First Business Financial Services from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $51.75.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.