First Bank (FRBA) shares soared 6.2% in the last trading session to close at $13.80. The move was backed by solid volume with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This compares to the stock's 11.2% gain over the past four weeks.
Shares of First Bank rallied for the sixth straight trading session. Encouraging inflation numbers and a rising unemployment rate are giving confidence to the Federal Reserve that prices will eventually come down toward the 2% target. So, market participants are predicting interest rate cuts as early as during the September FOMC meeting.
This is a positive development for banks that are already reeling under the Fed’s aggressive monetary tightening. As the rates come down, so will banks’ funding costs. Also, demand for loans is expected to improve. Hence, the investors turned bullish on banking sector stocks, driving FRBA higher.
This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.40 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +11.1%. Revenues are expected to be $31.95 million, up 37.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Earnings and revenue growth expectations certainly give a good sense of the potential strength in a stock, but empirical research shows that trends in earnings estimate revisions are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements.
For First Bank, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. And a stock's price usually doesn't keep moving higher in the absence of any trend in earnings estimate revisions. So, make sure to keep an eye on FRBA going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
First Bank is a member of the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry. One other stock in the same industry, Orrstown Financial Services (ORRF), finished the last trading session 3.7% higher at $29.45. ORRF has returned 12.5% over the past month.
For Orrstown, the consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed -3.2% over the past month to $0.73. This represents a change of -22.3% from what the company reported a year ago. Orrstown currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
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First Bank (FRBA) Moves 6.2% Higher: Will This Strength Last?
First Bank (FRBA) shares soared 6.2% in the last trading session to close at $13.80. The move was backed by solid volume with far more shares changing hands than in a normal session. This compares to the stock's 11.2% gain over the past four weeks.
Shares of First Bank rallied for the sixth straight trading session. Encouraging inflation numbers and a rising unemployment rate are giving confidence to the Federal Reserve that prices will eventually come down toward the 2% target. So, market participants are predicting interest rate cuts as early as during the September FOMC meeting.
This is a positive development for banks that are already reeling under the Fed’s aggressive monetary tightening. As the rates come down, so will banks’ funding costs. Also, demand for loans is expected to improve. Hence, the investors turned bullish on banking sector stocks, driving FRBA higher.
This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.40 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +11.1%. Revenues are expected to be $31.95 million, up 37.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Earnings and revenue growth expectations certainly give a good sense of the potential strength in a stock, but empirical research shows that trends in earnings estimate revisions are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements.
For First Bank, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. And a stock's price usually doesn't keep moving higher in the absence of any trend in earnings estimate revisions. So, make sure to keep an eye on FRBA going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
First Bank is a member of the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry. One other stock in the same industry, Orrstown Financial Services (ORRF), finished the last trading session 3.7% higher at $29.45. ORRF has returned 12.5% over the past month.
For Orrstown, the consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed -3.2% over the past month to $0.73. This represents a change of -22.3% from what the company reported a year ago. Orrstown currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).