First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Director Edgar R. Smith III Buys 98,460 Shares

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FGBI) Director Edgar R. Smith III acquired 98,460 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.47 per share, for a total transaction of $833,956.20. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 98,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $833,956.20. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

First Guaranty Bancshares Price Performance

FGBI traded up $0.02 on Wednesday, reaching $7.73. 9,967 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,769. The stock has a market cap of $96.66 million, a PE ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. has a twelve month low of $6.56 and a twelve month high of $15.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $8.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.53.

First Guaranty Bancshares (NASDAQ:FGBI) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.13). First Guaranty Bancshares had a net margin of 5.04% and a return on equity of 5.62%. Sell-side analysts expect that First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. will post 0.89 EPS for the current year.

First Guaranty Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th were issued a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. First Guaranty Bancshares’s payout ratio is 4.94%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Guaranty Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of First Guaranty Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth $122,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth $149,000. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in First Guaranty Bancshares by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 13,661 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,894 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Guaranty Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth approximately $172,000. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in First Guaranty Bancshares in the fourth quarter valued at $296,000. 39.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Guaranty Bancshares Company Profile

First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc operates as the holding company for First Guaranty Bank that provides commercial banking services in Louisiana and Texas. It offers various deposit products, including personal and business checking, savings, money market, and demand accounts, as well as time deposits to consumers, small businesses, and municipalities.