Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) Short Interest Up 9.0% in December

Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 49,700 shares, a growth of 9.0% from the November 30th total of 45,600 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ames National

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ames National by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 204,642 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,731,000 after buying an additional 4,843 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Ames National by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 123,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ames National during the second quarter valued at $807,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Ames National by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 37,235 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Ames National by 114.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 7,650 shares during the last quarter. 26.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ames National Stock Performance

NASDAQ ATLO remained flat at $16.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The company had a trading volume of 42,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,701. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $17.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.40. The firm has a market cap of $147.74 million, a P/E ratio of 16.60 and a beta of 0.56. Ames National has a 12-month low of $15.69 and a 12-month high of $22.41.

Ames National Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Ames National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.81%.

Ames National Company Profile

Ames National Corporation operates as a multi-bank holding company that provides banking products and services primarily in Boone, Clarke, Hancock, Marshall, Polk, Story, and Union counties in central, north central, and south-central Iowa. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts; and time deposits, such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit.