Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. Has $2.46 Million Stock Holdings in Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB)

Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. increased its position in shares of Civista Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CIVB) by 30.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,952 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 27,402 shares during the quarter. Civista Bancshares comprises about 2.0% of Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. owned approximately 0.74% of Civista Bancshares worth $2,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Civista Bancshares by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 298,557 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,320,000 after purchasing an additional 3,112 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Civista Bancshares by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 20,215 shares of the bank’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 3,934 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Civista Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Civista Bancshares by 40.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 51,521 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $917,000 after purchasing an additional 14,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Civista Bancshares by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 348,352 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,208,000 after purchasing an additional 9,501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.10% of the company’s stock.

Civista Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of CIVB opened at $18.51 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $20.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.40. The company has a market cap of $286.52 million, a PE ratio of 9.16 and a beta of 0.79. Civista Bancshares, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.60 and a 12-month high of $23.70.

Civista Bancshares (NASDAQ:CIVB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The bank reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.10. Civista Bancshares had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 8.35%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Civista Bancshares, Inc. will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Civista Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This is a boost from Civista Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Civista Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Civista Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 22nd. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of Civista Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $27.00 target price on Civista Bancshares in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.40.

About Civista Bancshares

Civista Bancshares, Inc operates as the financial holding company for Civista Bank that provides community banking services. It collects a range of customer deposits; and offers commercial and agriculture, commercial and residential real estate, farm real estate, real estate construction, consumer, and other loans, as well as letters of credit.