Origin Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:OBK) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Origin Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:OBK) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 473,105 shares, an increase of 65.2% from the January 29th total of 286,433 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 270,338 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 270,338 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Origin Bancorp from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Zacks Research raised Origin Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Origin Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson set a $49.00 target price on shares of Origin Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Origin Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.80.

Origin Bancorp Price Performance

OBK traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $41.60. The stock had a trading volume of 236,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,316. Origin Bancorp has a 1 year low of $28.80 and a 1 year high of $46.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $41.33 and a 200 day moving average of $37.93. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33 and a beta of 0.76.

Origin Bancorp (NYSE:OBK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.07. Origin Bancorp had a net margin of 12.58% and a return on equity of 6.21%. The firm had revenue of $94.00 million for the quarter.

Origin Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Origin Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Origin Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of OBK. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Origin Bancorp by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Origin Bancorp by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 16,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $606,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in Origin Bancorp by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 13,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Origin Bancorp by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 16,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Origin Bancorp by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 11,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 54.68% of the company’s stock.

Origin Bancorp Company Profile

Origin Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: OBK) is a bank holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the parent of Origin Bank, a full-service commercial banking franchise. The company provides a broad range of financial products and services to individuals, small and middle-market businesses, and institutional clients across the southeastern United States.

Through Origin Bank, the company offers a variety of deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.