Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 44,134 shares, a growth of 27.3% from the February 12th total of 34,671 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,709 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.4 days. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,709 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.4 days.

Sound Financial Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SFBC traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $41.06. The stock had a trading volume of 4,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,331. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $43.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.58. The company has a market capitalization of $105.36 million, a P/E ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Sound Financial Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $41.06 and a fifty-two week high of $51.99.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 11.64%.The firm had revenue of $9.53 million during the quarter.

Sound Financial Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This is a boost from Sound Financial Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SFBC. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in Sound Financial Bancorp by 499.5% during the second quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 52,365 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,409,000 after acquiring an additional 43,630 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Sound Financial Bancorp by 357.6% in the third quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,066 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 18,807 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 3.2% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 92,003 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,238,000 after purchasing an additional 2,880 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $271,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in Sound Financial Bancorp by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,628 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. 68.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sound Financial Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Sound Financial Bancorp Company Profile

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company and the parent of Sound Community Bank, a community‐oriented financial institution headquartered in University Place, Washington. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a broad array of banking and financial services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients throughout the Puget Sound region. Emphasizing relationship banking, Sound Financial Bancorp seeks to support local economic development by offering personalized service and community engagement.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a full spectrum of lending solutions.