Q3 2018 EPS Estimates for First Community Co. Lifted by FIG Partners (FCCO)

First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) – Analysts at FIG Partners upped their Q3 2018 earnings estimates for shares of First Community in a research note issued on Thursday, July 19th. FIG Partners analyst B. Martin now forecasts that the bank will post earnings of $0.40 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.39. FIG Partners also issued estimates for First Community’s Q4 2018 earnings at $0.38 EPS, FY2018 earnings at $1.52 EPS, Q2 2019 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q3 2019 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q4 2019 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.60 EPS.

Get First Community alerts:

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 18th. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.65 million. First Community had a net margin of 17.48% and a return on equity of 9.78%.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. ValuEngine raised shares of First Community from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 2nd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of First Community from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday.

First Community stock opened at $25.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.54 million, a PE ratio of 23.35 and a beta of 0.65. First Community has a fifty-two week low of $19.60 and a fifty-two week high of $26.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in First Community by 528.5% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 13,809 shares of the bank’s stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 11,612 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in First Community in the fourth quarter worth $240,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in First Community in the fourth quarter worth $348,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in First Community by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,825 shares of the bank’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 3,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in First Community in the fourth quarter worth $245,000. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

In other news, insider Michael C. Crapps sold 1,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.00, for a total value of $29,026.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 68,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,568,508. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.38% of the company’s stock.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 30th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 27th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. First Community’s payout ratio is currently 36.70%.

About First Community

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank which offers various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professional concerns, and individuals. The company operates through four segments: Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit, and Corporate.

Read More: What do I need to know about analyst ratings?