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

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) saw a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 40,536 shares, a growth of 45.3% from the December 31st total of 27,900 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,130 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 5,130 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SFBC. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 2,880 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 275.4% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 90,346 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,942,000 after purchasing an additional 66,280 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 43,630 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 106.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 50,505 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,324,000 after purchasing an additional 26,059 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Sage Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 573.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 36,192 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,579,000 after buying an additional 30,821 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.85% of the company’s stock.

Sound Financial Bancorp Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Sound Financial Bancorp stock opened at $43.90 on Friday. Sound Financial Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $42.75 and a fifty-two week high of $52.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $112.82 million, a P/E ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $44.02 and a 200 day moving average of $45.32.

Sound Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:SFBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $9.53 million for the quarter.

Sound Financial Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is an increase from Sound Financial Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Sound Financial Bancorp’s payout ratio is 27.44%.

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.