First US Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUSB) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

First US Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FUSB) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,400 shares, a growth of 38.5% from the January 15th total of 3,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

First US Bancshares Price Performance

FUSB stock traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $13.51. The company had a trading volume of 3,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,561. First US Bancshares has a 1-year low of $8.66 and a 1-year high of $14.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $12.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $77.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 0.92.

First US Bancshares (NASDAQ:FUSB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. First US Bancshares had a net margin of 13.21% and a return on equity of 8.61%.

First US Bancshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. This is a positive change from First US Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. First US Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First US Bancshares

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FUSB. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of First US Bancshares by 54.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 24,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 8,690 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of First US Bancshares by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 31,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of First US Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at $125,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of First US Bancshares by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,713 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 6,325 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.74% of the company’s stock.

About First US Bancshares

First US Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First US Bank that provides commercial banking products and services. The company offers non-interest-bearing demand deposits, savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market demand accounts, individual retirement accounts, and time deposits.