First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $43.31 and traded as high as $46.74. First Business Financial Services shares last traded at $46.73, with a volume of 29,644 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FBIZ. StockNews.com upgraded First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Piper Sandler cut their price target on First Business Financial Services from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on First Business Financial Services from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, First Business Financial Services currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.75.

First Business Financial Services Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $387.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.09.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $66.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.80 million. First Business Financial Services had a return on equity of 13.70% and a net margin of 15.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that First Business Financial Services, Inc. will post 4.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Business Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. First Business Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other First Business Financial Services news, Director William Kent Lorenz sold 1,000 shares of the 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 directly owns 8,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $408,709. This represents a 10.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James Edward Hartlieb sold 6,344 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.15, for a total transaction of $273,743.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,215,190.30. The trade was a 18.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 47,344 shares of company stock valued at $2,275,144 over the last quarter. Insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Business Financial Services

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FBIZ. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in First Business Financial Services by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 37,891 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after buying an additional 1,998 shares in the last quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in First Business Financial Services by 1.2% in the second quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 353,718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,084,000 after acquiring an additional 4,196 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of First Business Financial Services by 1.5% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 537,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,893,000 after acquiring an additional 7,871 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services during the second quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth $125,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

About First Business Financial Services

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.