Short Interest in First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSFG) Rises By 55.7%

First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSFG) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,500 shares, a growth of 55.7% from the November 30th total of 6,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 16,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Institutional Trading of First Savings Financial Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSFG. Fourthstone LLC lifted its stake in shares of First Savings Financial Group by 166.2% during the third quarter. Fourthstone LLC now owns 214,671 shares of the bank’s stock worth $5,111,000 after purchasing an additional 134,029 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in First Savings Financial Group by 166.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 68,421 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,629,000 after acquiring an additional 42,696 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in First Savings Financial Group by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,198 shares of the bank’s stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 1,608 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in First Savings Financial Group by 72.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,396 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in First Savings Financial Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 58,253 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,387,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. 35.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on FSFG shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of First Savings Financial Group from $27.50 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Hovde Group initiated coverage on First Savings Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded First Savings Financial Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday.

First Savings Financial Group Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of FSFG stock opened at $25.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. First Savings Financial Group has a fifty-two week low of $14.55 and a fifty-two week high of $30.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.65. The stock has a market cap of $177.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 0.73.

First Savings Financial Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. First Savings Financial Group’s payout ratio is 30.30%.

About First Savings Financial Group

First Savings Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Savings Bank that provides various financial services to consumers and businesses in southern Indiana. The company operates through three segments: Core Banking, SBA Lending, and Mortgage Banking. It accepts deposits, such as checking accounts, NOW and money market accounts, regular savings accounts, and time deposits.