Short Interest in Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB) Increases By 22.6%

Farmers National Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:FMNB - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 268,700 shares, an increase of 22.6% from the February 28th total of 219,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 89,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FMNB shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Farmers National Banc from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Farmers National Banc from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Farmers National Banc Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Farmers National Banc stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $12.09. 140,779 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 88,957. The company has a market cap of $454.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 0.86. Farmers National Banc has a 52 week low of $11.55 and a 52 week high of $16.32. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $13.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Farmers National Banc (NASDAQ:FMNB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.05. Farmers National Banc had a return on equity of 11.71% and a net margin of 17.05%. Equities analysts expect that Farmers National Banc will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers National Banc Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.62%. Farmers National Banc's payout ratio is currently 55.74%.

Insider Transactions at Farmers National Banc

In other news, Director Gina A. Richardson bought 2,334 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $13.75 per share, for a total transaction of $32,092.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 9,896 shares in the company, valued at $136,070. This represents a 30.86 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ralph D. Macali sold 14,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.00, for a total transaction of $200,200.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,983 shares in the company, valued at $685,762. This represents a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers National Banc

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMNB. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Farmers National Banc by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 103,160 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,560,000 after buying an additional 2,241 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Farmers National Banc by 67.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,068 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Farmers National Banc by 11.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,207 shares of the bank's stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares during the period. PEAK6 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers National Banc in the third quarter valued at about $157,000. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Farmers National Banc by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 849,499 shares of the bank's stock worth $12,844,000 after purchasing an additional 28,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.72% of the company's stock.

About Farmers National Banc

Farmers National Banc Corp. operates as a bank holding company for The Farmers National Bank of Canfield engages in the banking, trust, retirement consulting, insurance, and financial management businesses. It offers commercial and retail banking services, including checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; commercial, mortgage and installment, and home equity loans; home equity lines of credit, night depository, safe deposit box, money order, bank check, automated teller machine, Internet banking, travel card, E bond transaction, brokerage, and other services.