Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO) Short Interest Up 38.6% in January

Ames National Co. (NASDAQ:ATLO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 68,900 shares, a growth of 38.6% from the December 31st total of 49,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 21,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company's stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ames National

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Ames National by 114.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 14,327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 7,650 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in Ames National by 299.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,418 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 8,557 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ames National by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 204,642 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,731,000 after buying an additional 4,843 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Ames National by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 123,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069 shares during the period. 26.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ames National Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ATLO traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $18.33. 5,424 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,969. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $16.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.97. The company has a market cap of $164.74 million, a PE ratio of 18.51 and a beta of 0.56. Ames National has a twelve month low of $15.69 and a twelve month high of $22.19.

Ames National (NASDAQ:ATLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter. Ames National had a net margin of 9.75% and a return on equity of 5.19%.

Ames National Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.37%. Ames National's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.81%.

Ames National Company Profile

Ames National Corporation operates as a multi-bank holding company that provides banking products and services primarily in Boone, Clarke, Hancock, Marshall, Polk, Story, and Union counties in central, north central, and south-central Iowa. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts; and time deposits, such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit.