Short Interest in Plumas Bancorp (NASDAQ:PLBC) Rises By 143.2%

Plumas Bancorp (NASDAQ:PLBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 44,500 shares, a growth of 143.2% from the January 15th total of 18,300 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 12,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PLBC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Plumas Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $54.00 target price (up from $49.00) on shares of Plumas Bancorp in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Plumas Bancorp Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of PLBC traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.22. 3,878 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,945. Plumas Bancorp has a 52 week low of $32.50 and a 52 week high of $51.33. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $46.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.66. The firm has a market cap of $266.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 0.70.

Plumas Bancorp (NASDAQ:PLBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.14. Plumas Bancorp had a net margin of 30.74% and a return on equity of 16.88%. Analysts forecast that Plumas Bancorp will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Plumas Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. This is a boost from Plumas Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. Plumas Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.05%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLBC. Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new position in Plumas Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Plumas Bancorp by 447.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,106 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Plumas Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Plumas Bancorp by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,221 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Plumas Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $222,000. 41.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Plumas Bancorp Company Profile

Plumas Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for the Plumas Bank that provides various banking products and services for small and middle market businesses, and individuals in Northeastern California and Northwestern Nevada. The company accepts various deposits, such as checking, money market checking, business sweep, public funds sweep, savings, time deposit, and retirement accounts.