First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Short Interest Update

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 28,500 shares, a growth of 11.8% from the September 15th total of 25,500 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 18,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.5 days.

First Business Financial Services Price Performance

Shares of First Business Financial Services stock traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $45.37. The company had a trading volume of 2,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,182. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.73. First Business Financial Services has a 1-year low of $28.35 and a 1-year high of $47.23. The company has a market capitalization of $376.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.41 and a beta of 0.82.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $65.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.73 million. First Business Financial Services had a net margin of 15.66% and a return on equity of 13.87%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that First Business Financial Services will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

First Business Financial Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. First Business Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FBIZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price (up from $48.00) on shares of First Business Financial Services in a research note on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. DA Davidson upgraded First Business Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on First Business Financial Services from $44.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, First Business Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $50.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of First Business Financial Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in First Business Financial Services by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 361,070 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,540,000 after acquiring an additional 7,499 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Business Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth about $60,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in First Business Financial Services by 7.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 41,101 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 2,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in First Business Financial Services by 73.1% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.