Western New England Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:WNEB) Short Interest Update

Western New England Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:WNEB) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 60,800 shares, a growth of 19.7% from the February 13th total of 50,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 54,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Western New England Bancorp Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ WNEB opened at $9.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $188.18 million, a PE ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 0.71. Western New England Bancorp has a 52 week low of $6.00 and a 52 week high of $10.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Western New England Bancorp (NASDAQ:WNEB) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.04. Western New England Bancorp had a return on equity of 4.91% and a net margin of 9.51%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Western New England Bancorp will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western New England Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Western New England Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Seaport Res Ptn raised Western New England Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Western New England Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in Western New England Bancorp by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 8,532 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Western New England Bancorp by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 79,545 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $676,000 after purchasing an additional 4,020 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western New England Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $120,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Western New England Bancorp by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 82,605 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $702,000 after purchasing an additional 11,936 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourthstone LLC grew its stake in Western New England Bancorp by 372.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 769,807 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,543,000 after acquiring an additional 606,897 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.95% of the company’s stock.

Western New England Bancorp Company Profile

Western New England Bancorp, Inc operates as the holding company for Westfield Bank that provides a range of commercial and retail banking products and services to individuals and businesses. The company accepts various deposit accounts, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking, commercial checking, business, nonprofit and municipal checking, savings, money market and sweep, individual retirement, and other savings accounts; time deposits; certificates of deposit; and interest on lawyer's trust accounts.