Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCAA) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,930 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 3,105 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Republic Bancorp worth $4,537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in RBCAA. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Republic Bancorp during the third quarter valued at about $205,000. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Republic Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $208,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Republic Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $224,000. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Republic Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $227,000. Finally, Creative Planning bought a new stake in shares of Republic Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $261,000. 24.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Republic Bancorp news, EVP John T. Rippy sold 3,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.99, for a total transaction of $203,381.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,524,698.95. This trade represents a 11.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David P. Feaster sold 1,406 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.42, for a total value of $93,386.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,303 shares in the company, valued at $285,805.26. This represents a 24.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 5,984 shares of company stock worth $409,910. Corporate insiders own 55.50% of the company’s stock.

Republic Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ RBCAA opened at $68.07 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Republic Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.55 and a 52-week high of $80.68.

Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ:RBCAA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The bank reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.22). Republic Bancorp had a net margin of 20.05% and a return on equity of 10.60%.

Republic Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 18th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.451 dividend. This is a positive change from Republic Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Republic Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Hovde Group reduced their target price on shares of Republic Bancorp from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th.

About Republic Bancorp

Republic Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Republic Bank & Trust Company that provides various banking products and services in the United States. It operates in six segments: Traditional Banking, Warehouse, Mortgage Banking, Tax Refund Solutions, Republic Payment Solutions, and Republic Credit Solutions.