Short Interest in Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Expands By 128.6%

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,800 shares, an increase of 128.6% from the December 15th total of 2,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James E. Sweeney sold 592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total transaction of $31,121.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at $154,660.94. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,026 shares of company stock worth $54,446. Company insiders own 12.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SFBC. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 7.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,811 shares of the bank's stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares during the period. Arcus Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Sound Financial Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $503,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Sound Financial Bancorp by 10.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,095 shares of the bank's stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 6.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,885 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,278,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 97.1% in the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,530 shares of the bank's stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 2,725 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.85% of the company's stock.

Sound Financial Bancorp Stock Up 0.8 %

SFBC traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,279. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $53.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.99. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 52 week low of $39.00 and a 52 week high of $55.99. The company has a market capitalization of $137.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.06 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Sound Financial Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Sound Financial Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.67%.

Sound Financial Bancorp Company Profile

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sound Community Bank that provides banking and other financial services for consumers and businesses. It accepts various deposits products comprising savings, money market deposit, NOW, and demand accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.