Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) was the target of a large growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,100 shares, a growth of 52.8% from the May 31st total of 5,300 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 6,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Performance

FRAF stock opened at $28.28 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.19. Franklin Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $25.11 and a fifty-two week high of $35.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.43 million, a PE ratio of 9.06 and a beta of 0.34.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $17.74 million for the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a return on equity of 10.91% and a net margin of 13.69%.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 1st. Franklin Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is 41.03%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Financial Services

In other Franklin Financial Services news, Director Gregory A. Duffey acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.90 per share, for a total transaction of $51,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $521,289.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have acquired 4,690 shares of company stock valued at $130,039 in the last three months. 6.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. RKL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Franklin Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth $285,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA grew its stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 2,181.8% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 41,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 39,862 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Franklin Financial Services by 2.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 149,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,923,000 after purchasing an additional 3,436 shares during the last quarter. 24.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Franklin Financial Services

Franklin Financial Services Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Farmers and Merchants Trust Company of Chambersburg that provides commercial, retail banking, and trust services to businesses, individuals, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, money management, and time deposit accounts, as well as demand deposits.