German American Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GABC) Short Interest Update

German American Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:GABC) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,060,000 shares, a decline of 5.4% from the October 15th total of 1,120,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 61,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 17.2 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Thomas W. Seger bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.90 per share, with a total value of $86,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 418,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,089,563.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Thomas W. Seger bought 2,495 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.54 per share, with a total value of $71,207.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 438,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,526,919.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas W. Seger bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $28.90 per share, with a total value of $86,700.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 418,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,089,563.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 30,315 shares of company stock valued at $852,892. 6.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of German American Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in German American Bancorp by 5.5% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 21,098 shares of the bank’s stock worth $573,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093 shares in the last quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company bought a new position in German American Bancorp in the first quarter worth about $13,622,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in German American Bancorp by 13.3% in the first quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 86,505 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,887,000 after purchasing an additional 10,162 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new position in German American Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $217,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in German American Bancorp by 12.8% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,149,049 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,231,000 after purchasing an additional 130,488 shares in the last quarter. 44.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

German American Bancorp Stock Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:GABC opened at $29.98 on Friday. German American Bancorp has a 1-year low of $24.85 and a 1-year high of $40.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.54 and a 200 day moving average of $28.17. The firm has a market cap of $886.66 million, a PE ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

German American Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 10th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 9th. German American Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of German American Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company.

About German American Bancorp

German American Bancorp, Inc operates as a financial holding company for German American Bank that provides retail and commercial banking services. The company operates through three segments: Core Banking, Wealth Management Services, and Insurance Operations. The Core Banking segment accepts deposits from the general public; and originates consumer, commercial and agricultural, commercial and agricultural real estate, and residential mortgage loans, as well as sells residential mortgage loans in the secondary market.