Short Interest in QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH) Drops By 22.3%

QCR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCRH) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 103,600 shares, a drop of 22.3% from the November 30th total of 133,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 72,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

QCR Price Performance

Shares of QCRH traded down $1.78 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $80.78. 59,975 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 63,785. QCR has a 52 week low of $53.22 and a 52 week high of $96.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $86.45 and a 200-day moving average of $75.77. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.96.

QCR (NASDAQ:QCRH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The bank reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.29. QCR had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 19.25%. The business had revenue of $152.58 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.51 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that QCR will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

QCR Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.30%. QCR’s payout ratio is currently 3.48%.

Insider Activity

In other QCR news, CAO Nick W. Anderson sold 675 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $55,302.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,069.26. This trade represents a 46.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of QCR

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of QCR during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in QCR in the third quarter worth about $54,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of QCR during the third quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of QCR during the third quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of QCR in the third quarter worth approximately $111,000. 70.01% of the stock is currently owned by 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.