Squarepoint Ops LLC Makes New Investment in First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO)

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,125 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $261,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned approximately 0.20% of First Community at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in FCCO. Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC boosted its position in First Community by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Value Bank Partners LLC now owns 291,998 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,037,000 after buying an additional 975 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of First Community by 41.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,373 shares of the bank’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of First Community by 1.3% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 79,671 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in First Community by 8.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,688 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $570,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares during the period. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in First Community during the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. 61.25% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Community Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FCCO opened at $21.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $163.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.94 and a beta of 0.41. First Community Co. has a 1 year low of $15.40 and a 1 year high of $23.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50-day moving average is $21.24 and its 200-day moving average is $18.75.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.05. First Community had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 8.33%. The company had revenue of $25.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that First Community Co. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year.

First Community Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 30th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This is an increase from First Community’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. First Community’s payout ratio is currently 41.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded First Community from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st.

About First Community

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.