Short Interest in Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) Declines By 20.0%

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 22,000 shares, a drop of 20.0% from the January 31st total of 27,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 22,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Price Performance

NASDAQ:EBMT traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $17.74. 49,904 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,742. The company has a market capitalization of $142.22 million, a P/E ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.53. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a 12 month low of $12.32 and a 12 month high of $18.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.99.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.15. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 5.68%. Sell-side analysts expect that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.1425 dividend. This is a positive change from Eagle Bancorp Montana’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. Eagle Bancorp Montana’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.97%.

Insider Transactions at Eagle Bancorp Montana

In related news, Director Kenneth M. Walsh sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.11, for a total transaction of $151,100.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 126,033 shares in the company, valued at $1,904,358.63. This represents a 7.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Bancorp Montana

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EBMT. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,123 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,567 shares of the bank’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 2,165 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $166,000. Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 11,097 shares of the bank’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Eagle Bancorp Montana in the 4th quarter worth approximately $188,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.66% of the company’s stock.

About Eagle Bancorp Montana

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Opportunity Bank of Montana that provides various retail banking products and services to small businesses and individuals in Montana. It accepts various deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit accounts.