Timberland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSBK) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Timberland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSBK) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 17,100 shares, a growth of 19.6% from the December 31st total of 14,300 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 12,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Insider Transactions at Timberland Bancorp

In related news, COO Jonathan Arthur Fischer sold 2,044 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.09, for a total transaction of $67,635.96. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 4,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $150,559.50. This trade represents a 31.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,111 shares of company stock valued at $135,819. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Timberland Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospector Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Timberland Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $565,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in Timberland Bancorp by 52.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 19,643 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $595,000 after purchasing an additional 6,725 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Timberland Bancorp by 4.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,434 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $679,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Timberland Bancorp by 141.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,294 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 8,365 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Timberland Bancorp by 1.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 110,005 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $3,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. 65.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Timberland Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of TSBK stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.02. 10,164 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,897. The company has a market capitalization of $239.26 million, a PE ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Timberland Bancorp has a 12-month low of $23.93 and a 12-month high of $33.98. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.44.

Timberland Bancorp (NASDAQ:TSBK) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The savings and loans company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter. Timberland Bancorp had a net margin of 22.88% and a return on equity of 10.28%.

Timberland Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Timberland Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.36%.

Timberland Bancorp Company Profile

Timberland Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Timberland Bank that provides various community banking services in Washington. It offers various deposit products, including money market deposit, checking, and regular savings accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides one-to four-family residential, multi-family, and commercial real estate loans; and construction lending products, such as custom and owner/builder, speculative one- to four-family, commercial, multi-family, land development, and land development.