Short Interest in F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) Increases By 7.1%

F.N.B. Co. (NYSE:FNB) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,790,000 shares, an increase of 7.1% from the December 15th total of 6,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,390,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on FNB. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of F.N.B. from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens upped their target price on F.N.B. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of F.N.B. in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on F.N.B. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of F.N.B. from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.00.

F.N.B. Stock Performance

Shares of FNB stock opened at $15.61 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. F.N.B. has a 12-month low of $12.49 and a 12-month high of $17.70. The business’s 50 day moving average is $15.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.86. The company has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.32, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 1.01.

F.N.B. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. F.N.B.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Vincent J. Delie, Jr. sold 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $2,062,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,652,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,261,778.50. This represents a 7.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On F.N.B.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of F.N.B. during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in F.N.B. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of F.N.B. by 100.0% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,946 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of F.N.B. by 82.3% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,687 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of F.N.B. by 100.9% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 4,011 shares of the bank’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.25% of the company’s stock.

About F.N.B.

F.N.B. Corporation, a bank and financial holding company, provides a range of financial products and services primarily to consumers, corporations, governments, and small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Community Banking, Wealth Management, and Insurance.