First Mid Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMBH) Short Interest Up 7.6% in December

First Mid Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMBH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 112,700 shares, a growth of 7.6% from the November 30th total of 104,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 56,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on FMBH shares. Piper Sandler raised their target price on First Mid Bancshares from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on First Mid Bancshares from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. DA Davidson lowered First Mid Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $47.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stephens downgraded First Mid Bancshares from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, First Mid Bancshares currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.50.

Institutional Trading of First Mid Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in First Mid Bancshares by 24.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 133,132 shares of the bank's stock valued at $5,180,000 after acquiring an additional 25,855 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in First Mid Bancshares in the third quarter worth $566,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in First Mid Bancshares by 327.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,347 shares of the bank's stock worth $1,337,000 after buying an additional 26,315 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in First Mid Bancshares by 7.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 387,926 shares of the bank's stock worth $15,094,000 after buying an additional 26,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in First Mid Bancshares by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 88,910 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,459,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. 47.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Mid Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ FMBH traded down $0.85 during trading on Thursday, hitting $35.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 43,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 58,210. First Mid Bancshares has a 52 week low of $28.86 and a 52 week high of $43.86. The firm has a market cap of $860.11 million, a P/E ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

First Mid Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. First Mid Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.54%.

About First Mid Bancshares

First Mid Bancshares, Inc, a financial holding company, provides community banking products and services to commercial, retail, and agricultural customers in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, such as demand deposits, savings accounts, money market deposits, and time deposits. The company's loan products include commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, agricultural and agricultural real estate, residential real estate, and consumer loans, as well as construction and land development, 1-4 family residential properties, and multifamily residential properties loans; and other loans comprising loans to municipalities to support community projects, such as infrastructure improvements or equipment purchases.