F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,790,000 shares, an increase of 7.1% from the December 31st total of 6,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,390,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on FNB shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of F.N.B. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of F.N.B. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on F.N.B. from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. DA Davidson increased their target price on F.N.B. from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on F.N.B. from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.50.

F.N.B. Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of F.N.B. stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.58. 473,034 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,720,466. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.53 and a 200-day moving average of $14.95. The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.01. F.N.B. has a 12 month low of $12.49 and a 12 month high of $17.70.

F.N.B. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. F.N.B.’s payout ratio is 38.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other F.N.B. news, CEO Vincent J. Delie, Jr. sold 125,000 shares of F.N.B. stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total transaction of $2,062,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,652,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,261,778.50. The trade was a 7.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of F.N.B.

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of F.N.B. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of F.N.B. during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of F.N.B. by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,946 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of F.N.B. by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,687 shares of the bank’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of F.N.B. by 100.9% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,011 shares of the bank’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. 79.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About F.N.B.

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance.