Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) EVP Thomas M. Wilson Purchases 1,000 Shares

Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) EVP Thomas M. Wilson acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $22.38 per share, for a total transaction of $22,380.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $257,325.24. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Middlefield Banc Stock Down 2.6 %

NASDAQ MBCN traded down $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $21.82. The company had a trading volume of 7,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,893. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.21 and its 200 day moving average is $26.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Middlefield Banc Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $21.36 and a fifty-two week high of $37.00. The company has a market capitalization of $176.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 0.65.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $26.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.10 million. Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 16.41%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Middlefield Banc Corp. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Middlefield Banc Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Middlefield Banc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Middlefield Banc

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Middlefield Banc by 48.9% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,668 shares of the bank’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc during the 3rd quarter worth about $116,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc in the 4th quarter worth approximately $273,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Middlefield Banc in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Middlefield Banc by 14.2% during the first quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 32,017 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $765,000 after acquiring an additional 3,989 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MBCN shares. Hovde Group decreased their target price on Middlefield Banc from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Middlefield Banc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $25.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of Middlefield Banc in a report on Thursday, May 2nd.

About Middlefield Banc

Middlefield Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, small business owners, and retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, various consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers' checks.