First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSFG) Short Interest Up 115.3% in January

First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSFG) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 15,500 shares, an increase of 115.3% from the December 31st total of 7,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 18,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FSFG. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of First Savings Financial Group from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut First Savings Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th.

First Savings Financial Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:FSFG traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.41. The stock had a trading volume of 5,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,834. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.64 million, a PE ratio of 8.91 and a beta of 0.75. First Savings Financial Group has a 52 week low of $14.55 and a 52 week high of $30.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.01.

First Savings Financial Group (NASDAQ:FSFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.06). First Savings Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.86% and a net margin of 13.34%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that First Savings Financial Group will post 2.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Savings Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. First Savings Financial Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Savings Financial Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in First Savings Financial Group by 72.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,396 shares of the bank’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of First Savings Financial Group by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 58,253 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,387,000 after buying an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Fourthstone LLC lifted its position in First Savings Financial Group by 166.2% during the third quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 214,671 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,111,000 after acquiring an additional 134,029 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in First Savings Financial Group by 166.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 68,421 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,629,000 after acquiring an additional 42,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of First Savings Financial Group by 5.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,198 shares of the bank’s stock worth $767,000 after purchasing an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 35.22% of the company’s stock.

First Savings Financial Group Company Profile

First Savings Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Savings Bank that provides various financial services to consumers and businesses in southern Indiana. The company operates through three segments: Core Banking, SBA Lending, and Mortgage Banking. It accepts deposits, such as checking accounts, NOW and money market accounts, regular savings accounts, and time deposits.