QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH) Short Interest Up 37.8% in March

QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 221,400 shares, an increase of 37.8% from the March 15th total of 160,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 86,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of QCR from $95.00 to $82.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

QCR Trading Down 2.5 %

NASDAQ QCRH traded down $1.70 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.32. The stock had a trading volume of 144,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 73,357. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.71. QCR has a one year low of $54.75 and a one year high of $96.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.02.

QCR (NASDAQ:QCRH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $76.88 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.01 million. QCR had a return on equity of 12.68% and a net margin of 19.06%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that QCR will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

QCR Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 19th. QCR's payout ratio is presently 3.58%.

Insider Transactions at QCR

In related news, EVP Nicole A. Lee acquired 1,094 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $78.47 per share, with a total value of $85,846.18. Following the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $147,602.07. This trade represents a 139.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider James D. Klein sold 630 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.40, for a total value of $46,242.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,415.20. This represents a 59.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QCRH. Farther Finance Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of QCR during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in QCR by 3,042.1% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the bank's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in QCR during the 4th quarter worth $64,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in QCR during the 4th quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of QCR in the 4th quarter worth $263,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.01% of the company's stock.

QCR Company Profile

QCR Holdings, Inc, a multi-bank holding company, provides commercial and consumer banking, and trust and asset management services. The company's deposit products include noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, time, and brokered deposits. It also provides various commercial and retail lending/leasing, and investment services to corporations, partnerships, individuals, and government agencies.