Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 51,134 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 20% from the previous session’s volume of 42,451 shares.The stock last traded at $69.10 and had previously closed at $69.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on RBCAA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Republic Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Republic Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Republic Bancorp Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.89. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.26 and a beta of 0.59.

Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.30 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $94.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.50 million. Republic Bancorp had a net margin of 25.19% and a return on equity of 12.27%.

Republic Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a $0.495 dividend. This represents a $1.98 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Republic Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. Republic Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in Republic Bancorp in the third quarter worth $50,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Republic Bancorp in the third quarter worth $60,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Republic Bancorp by 2,561.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Republic Bancorp during the third quarter worth $73,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.37% of the company’s stock.

Republic Bancorp Company Profile

Republic Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Republic Bank & Trust Company. The company provides a full suite of commercial and retail banking services tailored to individuals, small businesses and middle‐market clients. Core offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, treasury and cash-management services, mortgage financing, SBA lending and wealth management solutions. Republic Bancorp also supports specialized financing needs through equipment leasing and small business advisory services.

Republic Bancorp’s branch network spans key markets in the U.S.