Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) Short Interest Update

Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,670,000 shares, an increase of 29.5% from the January 31st total of 1,290,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 383,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days.

Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida Stock Performance

NASDAQ SBCF traded down $0.37 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 166,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 383,862. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida has a 12 month low of $21.90 and a 12 month high of $31.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $27.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.15. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida had a return on equity of 5.91% and a net margin of 14.95%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida will post 1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBCF has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $31.00 target price (up previously from $29.00) on shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.00.

Institutional Trading of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SBCF. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida by 154.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida by 811.6% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 2,370 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida during the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the period. 81.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of integrated financial services. It provides banking and investment services to businesses and consumers, including personal and business deposit products, Internet and mobile banking, personal, commercial and mortgage loans, wealth management services, and treasury management solutions.