FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Friday.

Separately, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on FS Bancorp from $34.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

FS Bancorp Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of FS Bancorp stock traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,281. The stock has a market cap of $330.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.25 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.08. FS Bancorp has a twelve month low of $28.07 and a twelve month high of $47.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $43.00 and a 200-day moving average of $37.14.

FS Bancorp (NASDAQ:FSBW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The bank reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.10. FS Bancorp had a net margin of 18.05% and a return on equity of 13.40%. The company had revenue of $51.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.40 million. Research analysts forecast that FS Bancorp will post 4.17 EPS for the current year.

FS Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 7th. This is a boost from FS Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. FS Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.58%.

Institutional Trading of FS Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of FSBW. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in FS Bancorp by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,734 shares of the bank’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of FS Bancorp by 4.4% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 10,197 shares of the bank’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in FS Bancorp by 64.5% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,288 shares of the bank’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 897 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. grew its holdings in FS Bancorp by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 290,242 shares of the bank’s stock worth $10,579,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of FS Bancorp by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,347 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.88% of the company’s stock.

FS Bancorp Company Profile

FS Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington that provides banking and financial services to local families, local and regional businesses, and industry niches. The company operates in two segments, Commercial and Consumer Banking; and Home Lending. It offers various deposit instruments, including checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.