Short Interest in QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH) Declines By 25.1%

QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 126,900 shares, a drop of 25.1% from the January 31st total of 169,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 78,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days.

QCR Price Performance

Shares of QCRH stock traded down $2.58 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $72.46. 70,444 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 65,829. QCR has a 12 month low of $54.37 and a 12 month high of $96.08. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $78.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $80.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.02.

QCR (NASDAQ:QCRH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.19. QCR had a net margin of 19.06% and a return on equity of 12.68%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that QCR will post 6.82 earnings per share for the current year.

QCR Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 19th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 19th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. QCR’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.58%.

Insider Activity at QCR

In related news, EVP Nicole A. Lee purchased 1,094 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $78.47 per share, for a total transaction of $85,846.18. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $147,602.07. This represents a 139.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC purchased a new position in QCR during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in QCR by 3,042.1% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in QCR during the 3rd quarter valued at $54,000. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in QCR in the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of QCR in the 4th quarter worth about $64,000. 70.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About QCR

QCR Holdings, Inc, a multi-bank holding company, provides commercial and consumer banking, and trust and asset management services. The company’s deposit products include noninterest-bearing demand, interest-bearing demand, time, and brokered deposits. It also provides various commercial and retail lending/leasing, and investment services to corporations, partnerships, individuals, and government agencies.