Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFBC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,800 shares, a growth of 128.6% from the December 15th total of 2,100 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Sound Financial Bancorp Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SFBC traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $53.97. 418 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,262. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.16 million, a PE ratio of 35.27 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Sound Financial Bancorp has a one year low of $39.00 and a one year high of $55.99.

Sound Financial Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Sound Financial Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.67%.

Insider Activity at Sound Financial Bancorp

In other Sound Financial Bancorp news, Director James E. Sweeney sold 592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.57, for a total value of $31,121.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,660.94. The trade was a 16.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,026 shares of company stock valued at $54,446 over the last three months. 12.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sound Financial Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SFBC. 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 purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Sound Financial Bancorp by 97.1% in the fourth quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,530 shares of the bank’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Sound Financial Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $503,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,407 shares during the last quarter. 68.85% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.