First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $20.08 and traded as high as $24.70. First Community shares last traded at $24.42, with a volume of 37,006 shares.

First Community Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $186.57 million, a PE ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $22.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. First Community had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 9.57%. The firm had revenue of $26.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.65 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that First Community Co. will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 29th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 29th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FCCO. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew 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 buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in First Community by 18.9% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 44,150 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,003 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in First Community by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 409,203 shares of the bank’s stock worth $7,132,000 after buying an additional 3,254 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in First Community in the first quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of First Community by 1.3% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 79,671 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,389,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.25% of the company’s stock.

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.