RBB Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBB) Short Interest Up 38.0% in March

RBB Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBB) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 228,324 shares, a growth of 38.0% from the February 26th total of 165,449 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 77,970 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

RBB Bancorp Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of RBB stock traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $20.88. 52,573 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 75,285. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.40. The firm has a market cap of $356.00 million, a P/E ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. RBB Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $14.40 and a fifty-two week high of $22.69.

RBB Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $32.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.23 million. RBB Bancorp had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 6.19%. Equities analysts anticipate that RBB Bancorp will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

RBB Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. RBB Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of RBB Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered RBB Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded RBB Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RBB Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of RBB Bancorp by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 2,762 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in RBB Bancorp by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 60,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $995,000 after buying an additional 4,571 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in RBB Bancorp by 75.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 28,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 12,437 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in RBB Bancorp by 235.0% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 2,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in RBB Bancorp by 4.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 362,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,246,000 after acquiring an additional 14,751 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.14% of the company’s stock.

About RBB Bancorp

RBB Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and the parent of Royal Business Bank. Established in 2008, the company focuses on providing a full range of commercial banking services tailored to small- and medium-sized businesses, professionals and real estate investors. Through its subsidiary, RBB Bancorp delivers deposit products, loan facilities and cash management solutions designed to support operations and growth strategies.

The company’s core offerings include commercial real estate lending, construction and land development loans, Small Business Administration (SBA) lending and trade finance.