Squarepoint Ops LLC Takes Position in First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO)

Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in First Community Co. (NASDAQ:FCCO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,125 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Community during the second quarter worth $49,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in First Community by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 409,203 shares of the bank’s stock worth $7,132,000 after purchasing an additional 3,254 shares in the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in First Community during the 1st quarter worth about $239,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in First Community by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,688 shares of the bank’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in First Community by 41.0% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,373 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 981 shares in the last quarter. 61.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

First Community Stock Up 1.0 %

FCCO opened at $21.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $163.03 million, a P/E ratio of 14.94 and a beta of 0.41. First Community Co. has a one year low of $15.40 and a one year high of $23.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $21.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 17th. The bank reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $25.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.42 million. First Community had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 11.60%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that First Community Co. will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Community Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 30th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This is an increase from First Community’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 30th. First Community’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Community from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st.

About First Community

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.