Short Interest in First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Increases By 7.0%

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 20,000 shares, an increase of 7.0% from the May 31st total of 18,700 shares. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 12,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Insider Transactions at First Business Financial Services

In related news, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,345 shares of First Business Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.51, for a total transaction of $46,415.95. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $339,440.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Business Financial Services

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Business Financial Services by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 14,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. purchased a new position in First Business Financial Services during the fourth quarter worth $257,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in First Business Financial Services by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 938 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 36,255 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 1,485 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 65,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,626,000 after acquiring an additional 2,444 shares during the period. 60.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Business Financial Services Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ FBIZ opened at $36.28 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.57. First Business Financial Services has a one year low of $28.35 and a one year high of $41.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $300.76 million, a P/E ratio of 8.36 and a beta of 0.83.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by ($0.09). First Business Financial Services had a net margin of 15.48% and a return on equity of 13.51%. The business had revenue of $62.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.47 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that First Business Financial Services will post 4.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Business Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 9th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 8th. First Business Financial Services’s payout ratio is 23.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of First Business Financial Services in a report on Monday, March 18th. StockNews.com raised First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday.

About First Business Financial Services

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.