F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) Short Interest Up 7.1% in December

F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,790,000 shares, an increase of 7.1% from the December 15th total of 6,340,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,390,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on FNB shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of F.N.B. from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on F.N.B. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of F.N.B. in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Stephens raised their target price on F.N.B. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of F.N.B. from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.00.

F.N.B. Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of F.N.B. stock traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,140,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,183,759. F.N.B. has a 1-year low of $12.49 and a 1-year high of $17.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.84.

F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The bank reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $413.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $409.80 million. F.N.B. had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 8.49%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that F.N.B. will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

F.N.B. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. F.N.B.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.04%.

Insider Activity at F.N.B.

In related news, CEO Vincent J. Delie, Jr. sold 125,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $2,062,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,652,229 shares in the company, valued at $27,261,778.50. This represents a 7.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On F.N.B.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FNB. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of F.N.B. by 17.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 30,463 shares of the bank's stock worth $417,000 after buying an additional 4,574 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in F.N.B. by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,365,518 shares of the bank's stock worth $18,680,000 after acquiring an additional 24,474 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in F.N.B. by 2.2% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 47,679 shares of the bank's stock valued at $653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of F.N.B. by 181.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,047,133 shares of the bank's stock valued at $41,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,964,884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C bought a new position in shares of F.N.B. in the second quarter worth about $266,000. 79.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About F.N.B.

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance.

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