First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Several other research firms have also commented on FBIZ. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on First Business Financial Services from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on First Business Financial Services from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.75.

First Business Financial Services Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of FBIZ stock opened at $47.50 on Friday. First Business Financial Services has a 1-year low of $32.56 and a 1-year high of $52.22. The firm has a market cap of $394.25 million, a PE ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. First Business Financial Services had a net margin of 15.46% and a return on equity of 13.70%. The firm had revenue of $66.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.17 EPS. On average, analysts predict that First Business Financial Services will post 4.78 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James Edward Hartlieb sold 6,344 shares of First Business Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.15, for a total value of $273,743.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,162 shares in the company, valued at $1,215,190.30. The trade was a 18.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.00, for a total transaction of $49,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 8,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $408,709. This trade represents a 10.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,344 shares of company stock worth $2,275,144 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Business Financial Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in First Business Financial Services in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $125,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Business Financial Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $204,000. ERn Financial LLC purchased a new stake in First Business Financial Services during the third quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new position in First Business Financial Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. 60.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.