C&F Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CFFI) Short Interest Up 24.4% in March

C&F Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CFFI) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 48,558 shares, an increase of 24.4% from the February 26th total of 39,041 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,437 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 14.1 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of C&F Financial by 40.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of C&F Financial by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $887,000 after buying an additional 1,339 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of C&F Financial by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in C&F Financial by 110.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 72,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,483,000 after acquiring an additional 38,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in C&F Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 37.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of C&F Financial in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, C&F Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

C&F Financial Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ CFFI traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $72.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,073. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.79 million, a P/E ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.89. C&F Financial has a 52-week low of $53.13 and a 52-week high of $80.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.44.

C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. C&F Financial had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 10.82%. The company had revenue of $35.88 million during the quarter.

C&F Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a positive change from C&F Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. C&F Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.19%.

About C&F Financial

C&F Financial Corporation is the bank holding company for C&F Bank, a community‐focused financial institution headquartered in Stephens City, Virginia. Founded in 1921, the company has grown from a single local bank into a regional franchise serving both retail and commercial clients. While the holding company trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker CFFI, its principal activities remain centered on traditional banking services designed to foster long-term relationships within its communities.

C&F Bank offers a full suite of deposit and lending products, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and consumer and commercial loan facilities.