First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) Raises Dividend to $0.33 Per Share

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of 0.33 per share by the bank on Friday, August 21st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This is a 6.5% increase from First Community Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31.

First Community Bancshares has raised its dividend by an average of 0.3%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 13 years. First Community Bancshares has a payout ratio of 46.3% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect First Community Bancshares to earn $3.05 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 40.7%.

First Community Bancshares Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:FCBC opened at $44.63 on Wednesday. First Community Bancshares has a 12-month low of $31.21 and a 12-month high of $45.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $842.17 million, a P/E ratio of 16.84 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $43.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.88.

First Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:FCBC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. First Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 25.89%.The company had revenue of $92.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.20 million. Equities research analysts expect that First Community Bancshares will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of First Community Bancshares in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of First Community Bancshares to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on First Community Bancshares in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Community Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

First Community Bancshares Company Profile

First Community Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: FCBC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, that delivers banking and financial services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Community Bank. The company’s core focus is on relationship-driven community banking, offering clients a blend of personalized service and competitive digital banking capabilities. It serves a diverse clientele that includes individuals, families, small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and professional practices.

The bank provides a broad spectrum of deposit products, such as checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, alongside treasury management and payment processing solutions.