Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) Short Interest Up 48.8% in February

Franklin Financial Services Co. (NASDAQ:FRAF) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 6,100 shares, a growth of 48.8% from the February 13th total of 4,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Franklin Financial Services Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Franklin Financial Services stock traded up $0.13 on Friday, hitting $35.62. The stock had a trading volume of 24,960 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,077. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Franklin Financial Services has a one year low of $25.11 and a one year high of $38.41. The stock has a market cap of $157.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.25. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.83.

Franklin Financial Services (NASDAQ:FRAF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Franklin Financial Services had a net margin of 9.64% and a return on equity of 7.91%.

Franklin Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Franklin Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Franklin Financial Services news, President Craig W. Best purchased 6,756 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $37.00 per share, with a total value of $249,972.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the president now owns 15,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $577,422. The trade was a 76.34 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gregory A. Duffey purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.90 per share, for a total transaction of $101,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 23,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,209.80. This represents a 14.44 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 9,786 shares of company stock valued at $352,784. 6.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Franklin Financial Services

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in Franklin Financial Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Franklin Financial Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $205,000. PL Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin Financial Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Franklin Financial Services by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 31,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $954,000 after acquiring an additional 1,608 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.80% of the company’s stock.

Franklin Financial Services Company Profile

Franklin Financial Services Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Farmers and Merchants Trust Company of Chambersburg that provides commercial, retail banking, and trust services to businesses, individuals, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania. It offers various deposit products, including checking, savings, money management, and time deposit accounts, as well as demand deposits.