Short Interest in Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) Increases By 36.3%

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 144,240 shares, an increase of 36.3% from the December 15th total of 105,863 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 15,088 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 15,088 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.6 days. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Finward Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Finward Bancorp by 98.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Finward Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new stake in Finward Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Finward Bancorp by 5,428.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Finward Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. 26.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Finward Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Finward Bancorp Trading Up 0.7%

FNWD traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $35.91. The stock had a trading volume of 44,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,392. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Finward Bancorp has a 1-year low of $26.12 and a 1-year high of $39.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80 and a beta of 0.31.

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ:FNWD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.41. Finward Bancorp had a return on equity of 5.27% and a net margin of 8.01%.The firm had revenue of $15.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.80 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Finward Bancorp will post 0.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Finward Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Finward Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 25.13%.

Finward Bancorp Company Profile

Finward Bancorp (NASDAQ: FNWD) is the bank holding company for Finward Bank, a community-focused financial institution serving businesses and individuals across Pennsylvania and Delaware. Through a network of full-service branches and a robust digital banking platform, Finward Bank delivers a range of personal and commercial banking solutions designed to meet the needs of local customers.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking accounts, savings accounts and time deposits, as well as a variety of lending solutions.