Barclays PLC Increases Stake in First Community Bankshares, Inc.

Barclays PLC has significantly raised its ownership in First Community Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCBC) by 219.6% during the third quarter, as indicated in its latest Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Following this acquisition, Barclays now holds a total of 29,709 shares in the bank after buying 20,412 additional shares during the quarter. The total value of Barclays PLC’s investment in First Community Bankshares is approximately $1,282,000, based on their most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently adjusted their positions in First Community Bankshares. For instance, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake valued at about $1,030,000 during the third quarter. Similarly, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings by 14.0% in the second quarter, accumulating a total of 2,947 shares worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp also increased its stake by 3.8% during the second quarter, holding 124,760 shares valued at $4,596,000 after adding 4,623 shares in the previous quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new position worth around $367,000 in the third quarter, while Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired shares valued at $802,000 during the same period. Currently, institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own about 34.95% of First Community Bankshares.

Insider Transactions

In addition to these institutional movements, there has been notable insider activity. CFO David D. Brown sold 2,520 shares of First Community Bankshares on November 12th at an average price of $48.00, totaling $120,960. As a result of this sale, he now directly holds 12,676 shares worth approximately $608,448, reflecting a 16.58% decrease in his position. This transaction was disclosed through the SEC.

On November 8th, Senior Vice President Jason R. Belcher sold 6,384 shares at an average price of $46.49, totaling $296,792.16. Post-sale, he holds 15,317 shares in the company, valued at around $712,087.33, marking a 29.42% reduction in his stake.

Currently, insiders own about 3.67% of the stock.

Price Performance of First Community Bankshares

On the trading day, FCBC shares opened at $41.71. The company has a market capitalization of $762.92 million, a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 14.95, and a beta of 0.56. The 50-day simple moving average for the stock stands at $44.59, while the 200-day simple moving average is at $42.07. Over the past year, First Community Bankshares has seen a low of $31.00 and a high reaching $49.02.

Dividend Distribution

The company recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was disbursed on November 22nd. Shareholders of record on November 8th received a dividend of $0.31 per share, equating to an annualized dividend of $1.24 and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was also set on November 8th. Currently, the dividend payout ratio for First Community Bankshares is 44.44%.

Company Overview

First Community Bankshares, Inc. functions as the financial holding company for First Community Bank, providing a range of banking products and services. Their offerings include demand deposit accounts, savings and money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement plans, alongside various types of loans including commercial, consumer real estate, and other loans.

Barclays, Investment, Bankshares