Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) Share Price Passes Below Fifty Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN - Get Free Report) shares passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $25.79 and traded as low as $25.61. Middlefield Banc shares last traded at $25.90, with a volume of 7,554 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MBCN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Middlefield Banc from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Hovde Group cut their target price on Middlefield Banc from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Middlefield Banc Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.87 million, a P/E ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 0.69.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.14. Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 14.31%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Middlefield Banc Corp. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

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Middlefield Banc Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. This is a positive change from Middlefield Banc's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Middlefield Banc's payout ratio is presently 43.75%.

Institutional Trading of Middlefield Banc

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Middlefield Banc by 104.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,117 shares of the bank's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Middlefield Banc by 122.4% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,319 shares of the bank's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Middlefield Banc by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,265 shares of the bank's stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Middlefield Banc by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 102,516 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,952,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Middlefield Banc by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 80,885 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,269,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares in the last quarter. 31.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Middlefield Banc Company Profile

Middlefield Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, small business owners, and retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, various consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers' checks.