First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of First Community Corporation (NASDAQ:FCCO) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $29.87 and traded as high as $31.98. First Community shares last traded at $31.5820, with a volume of 129,245 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of First Community in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

First Community Stock Up 0.1%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $30.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39 and a beta of 0.35.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.08. First Community had a return on equity of 13.00% and a net margin of 17.29%.The company had revenue of $23.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.61 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that First Community Corporation will post 2.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Community

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in First Community during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Community by 40.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,962 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 3,454 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of First Community by 11.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 205,992 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,021,000 after acquiring an additional 20,970 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Community in the first quarter worth $594,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of First Community by 7.3% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 18,938 shares of the bank’s stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.25% of the company’s stock.

About First Community

First Community Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: FCCO) is the bank holding company for First Community Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia. Through its subsidiary, the company delivers a comprehensive range of financial services to individuals, small businesses and larger commercial clients. Its operations are focused on community banking, with an emphasis on personalized relationship management and local decision-making.

The company’s core offerings include deposit products such as checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts, as well as consumer and commercial lending solutions.