German American Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GABC) Short Interest Update

German American Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GABC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,070,000 shares, an increase of 19.2% from the March 15th total of 897,400 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 130,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.2 days.

German American Bancorp Stock Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ:GABC traded down $0.47 on Friday, hitting $36.54. 10,169 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 108,350. The company has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96 and a beta of 0.61. German American Bancorp has a 1 year low of $31.06 and a 1 year high of $47.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $37.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.27.

German American Bancorp (NASDAQ:GABC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.09. German American Bancorp had a net margin of 23.69% and a return on equity of 12.04%. Equities analysts anticipate that German American Bancorp will post 3.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

German American Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a boost from German American Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. German American Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other German American Bancorp news, Director Diane B. Medley bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.21 per share, for a total transaction of $39,210.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at $210,557.70. This trade represents a 22.88 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 1,090 shares of company stock worth $42,697. 6.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new stake in German American Bancorp in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in German American Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of German American Bancorp by 821.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 912 shares of the bank's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 813 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of German American Bancorp by 399.5% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 969 shares of the bank's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV bought a new stake in shares of German American Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 46.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on GABC. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on German American Bancorp from $49.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of German American Bancorp from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $46.40.

German American Bancorp Company Profile

German American Bancorp, Inc operates as a financial holding company for German American Bank that provides retail and commercial banking services. The company operates through three segments: Core Banking, Wealth Management Services, and Insurance Operations. The Core Banking segment accepts deposits from the general public; and originates consumer, commercial and agricultural, commercial and agricultural real estate, and residential mortgage loans, as well as sells residential mortgage loans in the secondary market.