First Northwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWB) Short Interest Up 22.7% in March

First Northwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWB) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,600 shares, an increase of 22.7% from the February 28th total of 11,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FNWB shares. StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Northwest Bancorp in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of First Northwest Bancorp in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $13.50 target price for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of First Northwest Bancorp from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

First Northwest Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FNWB stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $10.15. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,903. The business has a fifty day moving average of $10.66 and a 200-day moving average of $10.59. The company has a market cap of $94.98 million, a PE ratio of -29.00 and a beta of 0.99. First Northwest Bancorp has a 52 week low of $8.91 and a 52 week high of $15.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08.

First Northwest Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported ($0.32) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.38). First Northwest Bancorp had a negative net margin of 2.38% and a negative return on equity of 1.86%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that First Northwest Bancorp will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

First Northwest Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. First Northwest Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -80.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of First Northwest Bancorp by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in First Northwest Bancorp by 60.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,815 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 2,568 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in First Northwest Bancorp by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 47,923 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 15,622 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First Northwest Bancorp by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 75,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $770,000 after buying an additional 22,788 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Northwest Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at $277,000. 66.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Northwest Bancorp Company Profile

First Northwest Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for First Fed Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services to individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in western Washington, the United States. The company accepts various deposit instruments, including checking, money market deposit, savings, and transaction accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.