National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of National Bankshares from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

National Bankshares Trading Down 2.9 %

NASDAQ:NKSH traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $29.34. The company had a trading volume of 8,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,068. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $29.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.79. National Bankshares has a 12-month low of $26.00 and a 12-month high of $35.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $186.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23 and a beta of 0.61.

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48. National Bankshares had a return on equity of 5.85% and a net margin of 11.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that National Bankshares will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of National Bankshares

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NKSH. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of National Bankshares by 71.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,757 shares of the bank's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of National Bankshares by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,406 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,374,000 after buying an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Bankshares by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 16,268 shares of the bank's stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in National Bankshares by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 138,246 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,134,000 after acquiring an additional 5,975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its position in National Bankshares by 14.4% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 135,937 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,839,000 after acquiring an additional 17,149 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.73% of the company's stock.

National Bankshares Company Profile

National Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for the National Bank of Blacksburg that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, businesses, non-profits, and local governments. The company accepts interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.

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