Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO) Short Interest Up 15.2% in February

Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 250,899 shares, a growth of 15.2% from the February 12th total of 217,831 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 34,811 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.2 days. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 2.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 34,811 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.2 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ames National in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ames National has an average rating of “Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ames National by 67.6% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Ames National by 210.2% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,049 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Ames National by 150.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,836 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,103 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Ames National by 148.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Ames National by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 1,886 shares during the last quarter. 26.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ames National Price Performance

Shares of ATLO opened at $26.97 on Tuesday. Ames National has a 12 month low of $16.09 and a 12 month high of $28.35. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.96. The stock has a market cap of $239.76 million, a PE ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 0.39.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $15.34 million during the quarter. Ames National had a return on equity of 9.70% and a net margin of 19.36%.

Ames National Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This is an increase from Ames National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Ames National’s payout ratio is 44.86%.

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.