First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) Sees Significant Rise in Short Interest

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) experienced a notable increase in short interest during the month of November. By November 30th, short interest reached a total of 9,900 shares, marking a 32.0% increase from 7,500 shares reported on November 15th. This figure indicates that approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are currently sold short. Based on the average daily trading volume of 15,800 shares, the short-interest ratio stands at 0.6 days.

Stock Performance of First Community

The stock price for NASDAQ FCCO remained steady at $25.95 during trading hours on Friday. The trading volume for the day was 182,496 shares, significantly higher than its average volume of 27,658. Over the past year, First Community has recorded a low of $15.40 and a high of $26.48. The company boasts a market cap of $198.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, and a beta of 0.40. Its 50-day moving average price is $24.05, while the 200-day moving average price is $21.22. First Community also reports a current ratio and quick ratio of 0.79 along with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Earnings Report from First Community

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The bank reported earnings of $0.50 per share for the quarter, which was $0.06 above the consensus estimate of $0.44. For the quarter, the company achieved revenue of $26.73 million, exceeding analysts' expectations of $16.65 million. First Community had a return on equity of 9.57% and a net margin of 12.99%. In the same period last year, the company reported earnings of $0.23 per share. Analysts predict that First Community will achieve earnings of $1.76 per share for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement from First Community

Additionally, First Community recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was disbursed on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th received a dividend of $0.15 per share. This translates to an annualized dividend of $0.60 and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date for this payment was also Tuesday, October 29th. First Community's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.50%.

Institutional Investment in First Community

Numerous large investors have recently adjusted their positions in First Community. For instance, Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC raised its holdings by 48.1% in the third quarter, now owning 39,985 shares valued at $857,000 after adding 12,985 shares. Barclays PLC increased its holdings by 214.0%, owning 10,046 shares valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 6,847 shares. Geode Capital Management LLC expanded its position by 6.6%, holding 83,088 shares valued at $1,782,000 after an increase of 5,157 shares. State Street Corp also raised its stake by 5.6%, and Fourthstone LLC increased its position by 28.9%. Currently, institutional investors hold 61.25% of the company's stock.

About First Community

First Community Corporation functions as the bank holding company for First Community Bank, providing a range of commercial and retail banking products and services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. Their operations are categorized into Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.

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