Teton Advisors Inc. Trims Holdings in Flushing Financial Co. (NASDAQ:FFIC)

Teton Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in Flushing Financial Co. (NASDAQ:FFIC - Free Report) by 21.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 235,000 shares of the bank's stock after selling 64,000 shares during the quarter. Flushing Financial makes up about 1.7% of Teton Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Teton Advisors Inc. owned about 0.70% of Flushing Financial worth $3,356,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FFIC. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Flushing Financial by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 694,216 shares of the bank's stock valued at $10,124,000 after acquiring an additional 5,128 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of Flushing Financial by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 16,758 shares of the bank's stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 2,219 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Flushing Financial by 56.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 51,833 shares of the bank's stock valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 18,773 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Flushing Financial during the fourth quarter worth approximately $450,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Flushing Financial by 64.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,259 shares of the bank's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 2,836 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Flushing Financial

In related news, EVP Thomas Buonaiuto sold 6,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.92, for a total value of $87,856.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 32,336 shares in the company, valued at approximately $417,781.12. This trade represents a 17.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Flushing Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th.

Flushing Financial Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of FFIC traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $11.51. The company had a trading volume of 241,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,559. Flushing Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $10.65 and a 1-year high of $18.59. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $13.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.65. The stock has a market cap of $388.77 million, a PE ratio of -11.40 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Flushing Financial (NASDAQ:FFIC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.07). Flushing Financial had a negative net margin of 6.46% and a positive return on equity of 3.25%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Flushing Financial Co. will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Flushing Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.65%. Flushing Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently -87.13%.

Flushing Financial Company Profile

Flushing Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Flushing Bank that provides banking products and services primarily to consumers, businesses, and governmental units. It offers various deposit products, including checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, non-interest bearing demand accounts, NOW accounts, and certificates of deposit.