National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Bankshares (NASDAQ:NKSH) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning.

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

National Bankshares Stock Up 0.8 %

NKSH opened at $31.82 on Monday. National Bankshares has a twelve month low of $25.18 and a twelve month high of $37.00. The company has a market cap of $202.38 million, a PE ratio of 21.94 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $30.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.85.

National Bankshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 25th. This is a positive change from National Bankshares’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.55. This represents a yield of 5%. National Bankshares’s payout ratio is presently 107.59%.

Institutional Trading of National Bankshares

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NKSH. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of National Bankshares by 71.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,757 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in National Bankshares by 16.7% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,500 shares of the bank’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Ridge Investment Management acquired a new position in National Bankshares during the third quarter worth $211,000. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in National Bankshares by 290.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,487 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Bankshares in the 2nd quarter worth $226,000. 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.