Short Interest in F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) Drops By 5.9%

F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) saw a significant decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,910,000 shares, a decrease of 5.9% from the March 31st total of 10,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,180,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days.

F.N.B. Price Performance

FNB stock opened at $13.59 on Thursday. F.N.B. has a 1 year low of $10.09 and a 1 year high of $14.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a PE ratio of 10.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company’s 50-day moving average is $13.49 and its 200-day moving average is $12.91.

F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The bank reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.01. F.N.B. had a net margin of 19.73% and a return on equity of 9.51%. The business had revenue of $406.87 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $406.96 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that F.N.B. will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

F.N.B. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 6th were given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.53%. F.N.B.’s payout ratio is 38.71%.

Insider Transactions at F.N.B.

In related news, Director William B. Campbell purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $13.41 per share, for a total transaction of $33,525.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 145,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,949,653.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 6,500 shares of company stock worth $87,505. Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On F.N.B.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FNB. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in F.N.B. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Vestor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in F.N.B. in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in F.N.B. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in F.N.B. by 272.9% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,882 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 2,841 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in F.N.B. by 56.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,099 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 2,553 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on FNB. Raymond James increased their price objective on F.N.B. from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of F.N.B. in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $15.00 price target on the stock. Stephens cut their price target on shares of F.N.B. from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of F.N.B. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of F.N.B. from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

F.N.B. Company Profile

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance.