James Edward Hartlieb Sells 6,344 Shares of First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) Stock

First Business Financial Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBIZ) CEO James Edward Hartlieb sold 6,344 shares of First Business Financial Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.15, for a total value of $273,743.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,162 shares in the company, valued at $1,215,190.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

First Business Financial Services Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of First Business Financial Services stock opened at $43.18 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $358.39 million, a PE ratio of 9.27 and a beta of 0.83. First Business Financial Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.39 and a 52-week high of $47.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.09.

First Business Financial Services (NASDAQ:FBIZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $66.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.80 million. First Business Financial Services had a return on equity of 13.70% and a net margin of 15.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that First Business Financial Services, Inc. will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Business Financial Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 7th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 7th. First Business Financial Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on First Business Financial Services from $56.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of First Business Financial Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 price objective (up previously from $48.00) on shares of First Business Financial Services in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, DA Davidson upgraded shares of First Business Financial Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $36.00 to $50.00 in a report on Monday, August 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.00.

Institutional Trading of First Business Financial Services

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in First Business Financial Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $60,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in First Business Financial Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $125,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of First Business Financial Services by 73.1% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,930 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 1,659 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of First Business Financial Services in the 2nd quarter worth $204,000. Finally, ERn Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Business Financial Services in the third quarter worth $210,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.07% of the company’s stock.

First Business Financial Services Company Profile

First Business Financial Services, Inc operates as the bank holding company for First Business Bank that provides commercial banking products and services for small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri.