Pathward Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASH) Short Interest Up 19.0% in February

Pathward Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASH) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,911,209 shares, a growth of 19.0% from the February 12th total of 1,605,933 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 281,191 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.8 days. Currently, 8.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 8.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 281,191 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.8 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pathward Financial news, CEO Brett L. Pharr sold 15,641 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.88, for a total value of $1,468,377.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 78,261 shares in the company, valued at $7,347,142.68. This represents a 16.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pathward Financial

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Seros Financial LLC purchased a new position in Pathward Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $481,003,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pathward Financial in the fourth quarter worth $267,437,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pathward Financial by 44.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,049,836 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $77,698,000 after acquiring an additional 323,785 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in shares of Pathward Financial by 371.2% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 295,999 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $21,016,000 after acquiring an additional 233,177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pathward Financial by 62.0% during the third quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC now owns 348,590 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $25,799,000 after acquiring an additional 133,455 shares during the last quarter. 92.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CASH. Wall Street Zen downgraded Pathward Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Pathward Financial from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Pathward Financial in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Pathward Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.50.

Pathward Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ CASH opened at $90.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average is $87.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.94. Pathward Financial has a 12-month low of $64.45 and a 12-month high of $96.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.19. Pathward Financial had a return on equity of 22.76% and a net margin of 22.95%.The business had revenue of $173.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $185.80 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.29 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Pathward Financial has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.550-9.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that Pathward Financial will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Pathward Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Pathward Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 2.44%.

Pathward Financial Company Profile

Pathward Financial (NASDAQ:CASH) is a U.S.-based financial services company that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pathward Bank. The company provides a range of banking and payment solutions designed for consumers, small businesses, community banks and fintech partners. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, debit and prepaid card programs, digital banking platforms and treasury management services.

Through its banking charter, Pathward Financial delivers customizable payment solutions, including prepaid cards, payroll cards and benefit disbursement programs.