Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) Stock Price Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO)’s stock price passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.79 and traded as high as $30.02. Ames National shares last traded at $29.80, with a volume of 105,423 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ATLO. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ames National to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ames National in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Brean Capital raised shares of Ames National to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $31.00 target price on shares of Ames National in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.00.

Ames National Stock Up 1.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $264.03 million, a P/E ratio of 12.31 and a beta of 0.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.74.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter. Ames National had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 10.65%. The company had revenue of $18.22 million during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ames National Corporation will post 2.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ames National Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Ames National’s payout ratio is 39.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ames National

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ATLO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ames National by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 508,760 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,287,000 after acquiring an additional 5,063 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC boosted its position in shares of Ames National by 94.9% in the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 438,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,072,000 after purchasing an additional 213,597 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Ames National by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 273,040 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,705,000 after purchasing an additional 7,120 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ames National by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 215,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,831,000 after buying an additional 5,201 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in Ames National by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 132,123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,034,000 after buying an additional 6,648 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.47% of the company’s stock.

Ames National Company Profile

Ames National Corporation is the bank holding company for Ames National Bank, a full-service community bank headquartered in Ames, Iowa. Through its subsidiary, the company provides a range of commercial and consumer banking products designed to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses, farmers and agribusiness clients in central Iowa. Its network of branch offices serves Story County and neighboring counties, supporting local economic development and community initiatives.

The company’s core offerings include checking and savings accounts, money market and certificate of deposit products, along with online and mobile banking services.