Virtu Financial LLC Makes New $273,000 Investment in Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,440 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $273,000. Virtu Financial LLC owned about 0.10% of Middlefield Banc at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Separately, Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Middlefield Banc during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. 31.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $25.00 target price (down previously from $30.00) on shares of Middlefield Banc in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Hovde Group cut their target price on Middlefield Banc from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Middlefield Banc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th.

Middlefield Banc Stock Up 1.3 %

Middlefield Banc stock opened at $22.14 on Friday. Middlefield Banc Corp. has a twelve month low of $20.61 and a twelve month high of $37.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $22.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a market cap of $178.67 million, a P/E ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.65.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.09. Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 8.25% and a net margin of 16.41%. The firm had revenue of $26.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.10 million. On average, analysts forecast that Middlefield Banc Corp. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Middlefield Banc Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Middlefield Banc’s payout ratio is 39.02%.

About Middlefield Banc

Middlefield Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, small business owners, and retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, various consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers' checks.