National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Separately, Janney Montgomery Scott raised National Bankshares from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd.

National Bankshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ NKSH traded down $0.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.34. 8,425 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,068. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.63 million, a PE ratio of 20.23 and a beta of 0.61. National Bankshares has a 1-year low of $26.00 and a 1-year high of $35.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.79.

National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.48. National Bankshares had a return on equity of 5.85% and a net margin of 11.44%. On average, analysts anticipate that National Bankshares will post 1.79 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Bankshares

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NKSH. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in National Bankshares by 14.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 135,937 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,839,000 after purchasing an additional 17,149 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Bankshares during the second quarter worth about $226,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of National Bankshares by 295.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 9,870 shares of the bank’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 7,373 shares during the period. Eagle Ridge Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of National Bankshares in the third quarter valued at about $211,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Bankshares by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 138,246 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,134,000 after buying an additional 5,975 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 29.73% of the company’s stock.

National Bankshares Company Profile

National Bankshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for the National Bank of Blacksburg that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, businesses, non-profits, and local governments. The company accepts interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.