James W. Ayers Acquires 2,000 Shares of FB Financial Co. (NYSE:FBK)

On December 23rd, major shareholder of FB Financial Co. (NYSE:FBK), James W. Ayers, purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock. The average cost per share was $51.86, leading to a total investment of $103,720. This transaction resulted in a slight increase of 0.02% in Ayers’ overall holdings.

After this acquisition, Ayers now holds a total of 10,911,841 shares in FB Financial, which are valued at around $565,888,074.26. The purchase was officially disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is a requirement for major shareholders owning more than 10% of a company's stock.

FB Financial Stock Performance

The stock opened at $51.82 on Tuesday following Ayers' purchase. The company's shares have shown a recent trend, with a 50-day average trading price of $53.34 and a 200-day average price of $46.91. Over the past year, FB Financial has seen a low of $33.35 and a high of $58.88, establishing its market capitalization at $2.42 billion. The stock currently has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 22.63 and a beta value of 1.15, which indicates its volatility compared to the market.

Recent Earnings Announcement

FB Financial most recently reported its earnings on October 15th. The financial services company announced an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.86 for the quarter, surpassing analysts’ predictions of $0.82 by $0.04. The company also reported quarterly revenue of $169.13 million, well above the expected $127.44 million. During the same quarter last year, FB Financial had an EPS of $0.71. Analysts project that the company will achieve an EPS of 3.38 for the current year.

Quarterly Dividend Declaration

In addition to the recent share purchase, FB Financial announced a quarterly dividend that was paid out on November 19th. Shareholders who were on record as of November 5th received a dividend of $0.17 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $0.68 and a yield of 1.31%. Currently, FB Financial's payout ratio stands at 29.69%.

Institutional Investor Activities

Institutional investors have shown significant interest in FB Financial, with several firms adjusting their positions. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake by 5.8% in the second quarter, now owning approximately 1,937,631 shares. Allspring Global Investments also increased its holdings by 7.4%, while Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. added 4.1% to its position in the third quarter, now possessing 373,345 shares. As a whole, institutional investors hold around 65.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts' Outlook for FB Financial

Recent commentary from analysts reflects a variety of perspectives on FB Financial. Hovde Group revised its rating from “outperform” to “market perform” and set a new price target of $60.00. Meanwhile, StockNews.com downgraded the stock from “hold” to “sell”. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target from $50.00 to $58.00, while maintaining a “market perform” rating. In total, two analysts recommend selling the stock, three suggest holding, and one analyst sees it as a buying opportunity. The average consensus rating sits at “Hold”, with a target price around $50.20.

About FB Financial Corporation

FB Financial Corporation acts as the bank holding company for FirstBank, offering a comprehensive range of banking and mortgage services. The company serves both commercial and consumer clients through various segments including checking and savings accounts, lending products, and residential mortgages.

shares, investment, dividend