First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) Short Interest Up 81.1% in January

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 30,600 shares, an increase of 81.1% from the December 31st total of 16,900 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 22,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FCCO. Hovde Group lifted their price objective on shares of First Community from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James upgraded First Community from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

First Community Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of First Community stock traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $25.84. 15,546 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 38,841. The company has a market cap of $197.42 million, a PE ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.78 and a 200-day moving average of $22.95. First Community has a 12 month low of $15.40 and a 12 month high of $27.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.06. First Community had a return on equity of 10.14% and a net margin of 13.49%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that First Community will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Community Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. First Community's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FCCO. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in First Community by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 105,945 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,271,000 after buying an additional 690 shares during the period. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of First Community by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC now owns 182,441 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,379,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of First Community by 5.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 22,795 shares of the bank's stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in First Community during the second quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of First Community by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 83,088 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,782,000 after purchasing an additional 5,157 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.25% of the company's stock.

About First Community

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.