Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) Short Interest Down 21.2% in January

Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,200 shares, a drop of 21.2% from the December 31st total of 6,600 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Franklin Financial Services Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ FRAF traded down $0.09 during trading on Monday, reaching $34.50. 5,511 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,072. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $32.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.49 million, a PE ratio of 13.86 and a beta of 0.34. Franklin Financial Services has a fifty-two week low of $25.11 and a fifty-two week high of $34.83.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a net margin of 9.64% and a return on equity of 7.91%.

Franklin Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Franklin Financial Services's payout ratio is currently 51.41%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Franklin Financial Services by 14.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 40,030 shares of the company's stock worth $1,132,000 after buying an additional 5,183 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Franklin Financial Services by 25.0% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 16,506 shares of the company's stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 3,306 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in Franklin Financial Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Franklin Financial Services by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 31,672 shares of the company's stock valued at $954,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Franklin Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth $205,000. 24.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Franklin Financial Services

Franklin Financial Services Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Farmers and Merchants Trust Company of Chambersburg that provides commercial, retail banking, and trust services to businesses, individuals, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, money management, and time deposit accounts, as well as demand deposits.