First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Short Interest Update

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 67,326 shares, a growth of 25.1% from the February 26th total of 53,801 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 28,158 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on FBIZ shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on First Business Financial Services from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Business Financial Services in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of First Business Financial Services in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $61.00) on shares of First Business Financial Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, First Business Financial Services currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.00.

First Business Financial Services Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of FBIZ traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.93. 47,422 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,799. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $449.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.06 and a beta of 0.75. First Business Financial Services has a 1 year low of $42.18 and a 1 year high of $60.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $55.74 and its 200-day moving average is $53.74.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. First Business Financial Services had a return on equity of 14.77% and a net margin of 18.02%.The company had revenue of $42.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.10 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Business Financial Services will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

First Business Financial Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, February 28th. Investors of record on Saturday, February 14th were given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from First Business Financial Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. First Business Financial Services’s payout ratio is 22.86%.

Institutional Trading of First Business Financial Services

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of First Business Financial Services by 44.6% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 124,389 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,376,000 after buying an additional 38,364 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of First Business Financial Services by 17.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 171,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,688,000 after buying an additional 25,260 shares during the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its position in shares of First Business Financial Services by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 88,640 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,487,000 after acquiring an additional 14,000 shares during the period. M3F Inc. raised its stake in First Business Financial Services by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 96,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,892,000 after acquiring an additional 2,943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth $451,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc (NASDAQ:FBIZ) is a bank holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, offering a suite of commercial banking and financial services. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Business Bank, the company provides relationship-driven lending, deposit and treasury management solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofit organizations and high-net-worth individuals. Its core products include commercial real estate financing, equipment leasing, SBA-guaranteed lending, and cash management services.

In addition to lending and depository services, First Business Bank delivers investment advisory and wealth management through dedicated trust and private banking teams.