Short Interest in Affinity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFBI) Rises By 24.5%

Affinity Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFBI) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 5,831 shares, an increase of 24.5% from the February 26th total of 4,683 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,581 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Affinity Bancshares Trading Up 0.6%

AFBI stock opened at $19.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $118.91 million, a PE ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 0.23. Affinity Bancshares has a one year low of $17.00 and a one year high of $22.50. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $19.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Affinity Bancshares (NASDAQ:AFBI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Affinity Bancshares had a net margin of 15.74% and a return on equity of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $8.57 million during the quarter.

Affinity Bancshares announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 7th that allows the company to repurchase $300,000.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 0.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Affinity Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Affinity Bancshares presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Affinity Bancshares

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Affinity Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. Maltese Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Affinity Bancshares by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Maltese Capital Management LLC now owns 56,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,152,000 after purchasing an additional 2,959 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its position in Affinity Bancshares by 17.9% in the third quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 25,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $500,000 after purchasing an additional 3,850 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Affinity Bancshares in the first quarter worth approximately $251,000. Finally, Salzhauer Michael purchased a new position in shares of Affinity Bancshares in the second quarter worth $276,000. Institutional investors own 39.31% of the company’s stock.

About Affinity Bancshares

Affinity Bancshares, Inc is a bank holding company whose primary subsidiary, Affinity Bank, offers a full range of financial products and services to individuals and businesses. Founded to serve the evolving banking needs of its communities, the company provides demand, savings and time deposit accounts, along with treasury management and online banking capabilities. It caters to retail and commercial clients seeking deposit, cash management and payment solutions.

On the lending side, Affinity Bank extends credit through commercial real estate loans, small business administration loans and traditional commercial lines of credit.