Short Interest in F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) Rises By 8.7%

F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,530,000 shares, an increase of 8.7% from the March 15th total of 9,690,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,110,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on FNB shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of F.N.B. in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of F.N.B. from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of F.N.B. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of F.N.B. from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

F.N.B. Price Performance

Shares of FNB traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $12.79. 1,871,694 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,824,382. F.N.B. has a 1-year low of $10.09 and a 1-year high of $14.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.46 and a 200-day moving average of $12.73. The stock has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 1.02.

F.N.B. (NYSE:FNB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.03. F.N.B. had a net margin of 21.77% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The company had revenue of $337.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $403.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. F.N.B.’s revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that F.N.B. will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

F.N.B. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 5th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.75%. F.N.B.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at F.N.B.

In other news, Director William B. Campbell acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.41 per share, for a total transaction of $33,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 145,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,949,653.08. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of F.N.B.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in F.N.B. during the 1st quarter valued at about $150,000. Cardinal Capital Management grew its stake in shares of F.N.B. by 21.2% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 121,881 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after buying an additional 21,344 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA grew its stake in shares of F.N.B. by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 166,182 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,343,000 after buying an additional 2,110 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of F.N.B. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp grew its stake in shares of F.N.B. by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 195,731 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,760,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.25% of the company’s stock.

F.N.B. Company Profile

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance.