C&F Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CFFI) Short Interest Down 21.6% in March

C&F Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CFFI) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 25,700 shares, a drop of 21.6% from the March 15th total of 32,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 12,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

C&F Financial Trading Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:CFFI traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $60.59. 8,999 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,114. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.31 million, a P/E ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. C&F Financial has a fifty-two week low of $34.95 and a fifty-two week high of $89.90. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.65.

C&F Financial (NASDAQ:CFFI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter. C&F Financial had a net margin of 11.67% and a return on equity of 8.97%.

C&F Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from C&F Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. C&F Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded C&F Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other C&F Financial news, CEO Mark A. Fox sold 1,032 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $83,592.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 11,005 shares in the company, valued at $891,405. This trade represents a 8.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On C&F Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CFFI. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in C&F Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,598,000. Truffle Hound Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of C&F Financial during the 4th quarter worth $5,344,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of C&F Financial by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in C&F Financial by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,143 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of C&F Financial by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 12,057 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $859,000 after acquiring an additional 2,268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 37.23% of the company’s stock.

About C&F Financial

C&F Financial Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individuals and businesses. It operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Mortgage Banking and Consumer Finance. The Community Banking segment provides checking and savings deposit accounts, business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity, and installment loans.