Short Interest in Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) Drops By 19.9%

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 184,425 shares, a decline of 19.9% from the January 15th total of 230,260 shares. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 47,155 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 47,155 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.9 days. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eagle Bancorp Montana news, Director Kenneth M. Walsh sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.47, for a total transaction of $224,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 92,260 shares in the company, valued at $2,073,082.20. This trade represents a 9.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Peter Joseph Johnson sold 4,192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total value of $96,667.52. Following the transaction, the director owned 48,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,127,011.38. This trade represents a 7.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,547 shares of company stock valued at $398,902. 6.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Eagle Bancorp Montana

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EBMT. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 413,888 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,236,000 after buying an additional 23,519 shares in the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC grew its holdings in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 272.3% during the 4th quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 342,748 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $6,821,000 after purchasing an additional 250,681 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Eagle Bancorp Montana by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 196,281 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,906,000 after purchasing an additional 8,432 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 108.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 173,405 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,891,000 after purchasing an additional 90,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana by 549.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 118,900 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after acquiring an additional 100,600 shares during the last quarter. 35.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EBMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.00.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.73. The stock had a trading volume of 8,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,100. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $20.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.20. The firm has a market cap of $180.66 million, a P/E ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Eagle Bancorp Montana has a 12-month low of $15.10 and a 12-month high of $23.75.

Eagle Bancorp Montana (NASDAQ:EBMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $24.29 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.89 million. Eagle Bancorp Montana had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 11.67%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Eagle Bancorp Montana will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.145 dividend. This represents a $0.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Eagle Bancorp Montana’s payout ratio is currently 30.85%.

Eagle Bancorp Montana Company Profile

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Helena, Montana, that operates through its wholly owned subsidiary, Eagle Bank & Trust. The company offers a range of community banking services to individuals, small businesses and governmental entities. Its core offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage financing and treasury management.

Through Eagle Bank & Trust, the company provides checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, online and mobile banking platforms, ATM access and cash management solutions designed to meet the needs of local customers.