Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) Short Interest Up 36.1% in February

Norwood Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:NWFL) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 41,100 shares, an increase of 36.1% from the January 31st total of 30,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Norwood Financial Price Performance

Shares of NWFL opened at $25.17 on Thursday. Norwood Financial has a twelve month low of $23.50 and a twelve month high of $34.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $26.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.68 million, a PE ratio of 2,517.00 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Norwood Financial (NASDAQ:NWFL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The financial services provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.17). Norwood Financial had a negative net margin of 0.16% and a positive return on equity of 8.38%. Research analysts anticipate that Norwood Financial will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Norwood Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Norwood Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.93%. Norwood Financial’s payout ratio is 12,400.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NWFL. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Norwood Financial in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler began coverage on Norwood Financial in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Norwood Financial from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ronald R. Schmalzle purchased 2,563 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.43 per share, with a total value of $67,740.09. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,168 shares in the company, valued at $400,890.24. This represents a 20.33 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have purchased a total of 12,255 shares of company stock valued at $319,732 over the last quarter. 9.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwood Financial

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Norwood Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $16,814,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of Norwood Financial during the 4th quarter valued at $4,840,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Norwood Financial by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 166,450 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,529,000 after buying an additional 811 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Norwood Financial by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 106,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,905,000 after buying an additional 3,017 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Norwood Financial by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 99,889 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after buying an additional 2,402 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.08% of the company’s stock.

Norwood Financial Company Profile

Norwood Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Wayne Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts a range of deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing transaction accounts, and statement savings and money market accounts, as well as certificate of deposits.