Short Interest in C&F Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CFFI) Declines By 21.6%

C&F Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CFFI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 25,700 shares, a decline of 21.6% from the March 15th total of 32,800 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 12,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

C&F Financial Price Performance

Shares of CFFI stock traded up $2.54 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $67.87. 3,381 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,957. C&F Financial has a fifty-two week low of $36.01 and a fifty-two week high of $89.90. The firm has a market cap of $219.90 million, a P/E ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.58.

C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. C&F Financial had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 8.97%.

C&F Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. This is a boost from C&F Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. C&F Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded C&F Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark A. Fox sold 1,032 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $83,592.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 11,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $891,405. This represents a 8.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of C&F Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in C&F Financial by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 107,585 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,665,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in C&F Financial by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 42,893 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,056,000 after acquiring an additional 471 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in C&F Financial by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in C&F Financial by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its holdings in C&F Financial by 234.7% in the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. 37.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

C&F Financial Company Profile

C&F Financial Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individuals and businesses. It operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Mortgage Banking and Consumer Finance. The Community Banking segment provides checking and savings deposit accounts, business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity, and installment loans.