Short Interest in Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Drops By 16.0%

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,100 shares, a drop of 16.0% from the November 30th total of 2,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Sound Financial Bancorp

In related news, Director James E. Sweeney sold 592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total value of $31,121.44. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $154,660.94. This trade represents a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 1,026 shares of company stock valued at $54,446 over the last three months. Company insiders own 12.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arcus Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Sound Financial Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $503,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 6.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,885 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after buying an additional 1,407 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 7.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,811 shares of the bank’s stock worth $739,000 after buying an additional 1,122 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,095 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $273,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.85% of the company’s stock.

Sound Financial Bancorp Price Performance

SFBC stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $52.70. 2,787 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,759. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.44 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $50.06. Sound Financial Bancorp has a 12 month low of $39.00 and a 12 month high of $55.99.

Sound Financial Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.67%.

Sound Financial Bancorp Company Profile

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sound Community Bank that provides banking and other financial services for consumers and businesses. It accepts various deposits products comprising savings, money market deposit, NOW, and demand accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.