Fourthstone LLC Takes $1.03 Million Position in Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR)

Fourthstone LLC bought a new stake in Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 32,900 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $1,032,000. Fourthstone LLC owned 0.07% of Sandy Spring Bancorp at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its position in Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 11,785 shares of the bank’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. First National Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 5.2% during the third quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 10,050 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 2.4% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,065 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $818,000 after buying an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 26,209 shares of the bank’s stock worth $822,000 after acquiring an additional 832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 66.90% of the company’s stock.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SASR traded down $0.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $37.51. 204,480 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 347,694. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.29. Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.52 and a 12-month high of $39.55.

Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ:SASR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The bank reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.06). Sandy Spring Bancorp had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 5.71%. The firm had revenue of $189.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $101.60 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.62 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current year.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. Sandy Spring Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Sandy Spring Bancorp in a report on Sunday. They set a “sell” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.25.

Sandy Spring Bancorp Company Profile

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank that provides commercial and retail banking, mortgage, private banking, and trust services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It offers financial products and services, including various loan and deposit products.