Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) EVP Thomas M. Wilson Buys 1,000 Shares

Middlefield Banc Corp. (NASDAQ:MBCN) EVP Thomas M. Wilson bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $22.38 per share, for a total transaction of $22,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,325.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Middlefield Banc Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MBCN traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $22.40. The company had a trading volume of 12,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,984. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.75 million, a P/E ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $23.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Middlefield Banc Corp. has a one year low of $21.36 and a one year high of $37.00.

Middlefield Banc (NASDAQ:MBCN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The bank reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $26.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.10 million. Middlefield Banc had a return on equity of 8.33% and a net margin of 16.41%. Equities research analysts expect that Middlefield Banc Corp. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Middlefield Banc Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Middlefield Banc’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MBCN has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Middlefield Banc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Hovde Group cut their price objective on Middlefield Banc from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $25.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of Middlefield Banc in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Middlefield Banc

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Middlefield Banc by 48.9% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,668 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc during the 3rd quarter worth about $116,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Middlefield Banc in the 4th quarter worth approximately $273,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Middlefield Banc in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Middlefield Banc by 14.2% during the first quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 32,017 shares of the bank’s stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 3,989 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.72% of the company’s stock.

Middlefield Banc Company Profile

Middlefield Banc Corp. operates as the bank holding company for The Middlefield Banking Company that provides various commercial banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, small business owners, and retail customers in northeastern and central Ohio. It offers checking, savings, negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, money market accounts, time certificates of deposit, commercial loans, real estate loans, various consumer loans, safe deposit facilities, and travelers' checks.