Douglas Beals Purchases 325 Shares of Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) Stock

Ames National Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLO) Director Douglas Beals bought 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $31.16 per share, with a total value of $10,127.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,049. This trade represents a 11.02% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Ames National Trading Up 0.1%

ATLO opened at $31.76 on Friday. Ames National Corporation has a twelve month low of $19.18 and a twelve month high of $32.30. The firm has a market cap of $281.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.31 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.85.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Ames National had a net margin of 22.64% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $19.08 million for the quarter. On average, analysts forecast that Ames National Corporation will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ames National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Ames National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ames National

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ames National by 3.6% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 15,273 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Ames National by 67.6% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Ames National by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 642 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Ames National by 148.3% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299 shares during the period. 26.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ames National in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.00.

About Ames National

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.