Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. Boosts Stake in Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB)

Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. raised its holdings in Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB - Free Report) by 30.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 116,952 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 27,402 shares during the quarter. Civista Bancshares accounts for approximately 2.0% of Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. owned 0.74% of Civista Bancshares worth $2,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Civista Bancshares in the third quarter worth about $45,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Civista Bancshares by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,624 shares of the bank's stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 892 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Civista Bancshares by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,999 shares of the bank's stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,960 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Civista Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth approximately $272,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Civista Bancshares by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 20,215 shares of the bank's stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 3,934 shares in the last quarter. 52.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Civista Bancshares Price Performance

CIVB traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $18.57. 8,740 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 47,296. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.44. Civista Bancshares, Inc. has a 52-week low of $13.60 and a 52-week high of $23.70. The company has a market capitalization of $287.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.14 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Civista Bancshares (NASDAQ:CIVB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.10. Civista Bancshares had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 8.35%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Civista Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Civista Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This is a positive change from Civista Bancshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. Civista Bancshares's payout ratio is currently 33.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on CIVB. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Civista Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 22nd. DA Davidson set a $27.00 target price on shares of Civista Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of Civista Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $23.40.

Civista Bancshares Profile

Civista Bancshares, Inc operates as the financial holding company for Civista Bank that provides community banking services. It collects a range of customer deposits; and offers commercial and agriculture, commercial and residential real estate, farm real estate, real estate construction, consumer, and other loans, as well as letters of credit.