Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) Short Interest Up 38.6% in January

Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 68,900 shares, an increase of 38.6% from the December 31st total of 49,700 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 21,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Ames National Stock Down 1.2 %

ATLO stock opened at $18.13 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $16.99 and its 200-day moving average is $17.96. Ames National has a twelve month low of $15.69 and a twelve month high of $22.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.99 million, a PE ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 0.56.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Ames National had a net margin of 11.05% and a return on equity of 5.94%.

Ames National Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.41%. Ames National’s dividend payout ratio is currently 70.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ames National

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Ames National by 114.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,327 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 7,650 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Ames National by 299.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 8,557 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ames National by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 204,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,731,000 after buying an additional 4,843 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in Ames National by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 123,550 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,252,000 after buying an additional 1,069 shares during the period. 26.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ames National

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.