Key takeaway: PRK shares slipped 2% this week to $171.87, even as short interest spiked 41% over the past month to 2.72% of float. Borrowing costs remain near multi-week lows at 0.44%, while analysts maintain a neutral stance ahead of earnings Sunday evening.
PRK closed at $171.87 on April 24, down 0.74% on the day. The stock fell 1.97% over the week but gained 8.94% for the month. The regional bank sits well above recent lows, though price has pulled back from local highs.
Short interest stood at 437,470 shares as of April 23, representing 2.72% of the float. The position has surged 40.6% over the past month, marking the highest level since late March. Short shares hit a monthly peak of 530,738 on March 26 before dropping sharply to 292,706 by March 13, then climbing steadily back above 400,000.
The past week saw modest position reduction, down 2.08% from 447,218 shares on April 17. Day-over-day, shorts trimmed another 0.70%.
Cost to borrow averaged 0.44% on April 23, down 0.82% week-over-week and 26.5% from a month ago. CTB spiked to 0.70% on March 13 before falling to current levels—the lowest since late March. Utilization sat at 7.78%, well below the 52-week high of 9.43% reached March 24. Utilization has trended down from that peak, sitting near the lower end of the recent range.
The put/call ratio registered 0.0 on April 24, indicating no put activity relative to calls. This sits well below the 20-day mean of 0.188, producing a z-score of -1.35. The reading reflects stronger bullish positioning than the recent average. PRK's 52-week PCR range spans 0.0 to 19.0.
Three analysts rate PRK a hold, with no buy or sell ratings on file. Consensus data is 23 days old.
Piper Sandler's Nathan Race raised his price target to $183 from $176 in early February while maintaining a Neutral rating. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Damon Delmonte lifted his target to $180 from $175 in late October, also keeping a Market Perform stance. In the same period, Race lowered his target to $176 from $185, sticking with Neutral. Raymond James initiated coverage in July 2025 with a Market Perform rating and no price target.
PRK's P/E ratio stands at 14.36, up 1.08 points over the past 30 days. The price-to-book multiple is 1.71, having risen 0.14 in the same period. Dividend yield sits at 2.49%.
The stock ranks in the 70th percentile for 30-day EPS momentum and the 79th percentile for 90-day EPS momentum. Dividend score hits the 69th percentile. Value ranks are unavailable. Short score ranks in the 23rd percentile, while sector score sits at the 28th percentile.
The Park National Bank, the company's own banking subsidiary, added 1.18 million shares in Q1 to hold 2.44 million shares, or 13.48% of the company. BlackRock added 112,702 shares to 2.26 million (12.53%). Vanguard increased its stake by 68,845 shares to 1.64 million (9.07%). State Street added 18,992 shares. Charles Schwab increased by 9,278 shares.
CEO David Trautman added 3,073 shares to his 82,882-share position (0.46% of the company). Charles DeLawder, holding 148,779 shares (0.82%), trimmed 1,260 shares.
Insider activity over the past 90 days netted to zero in both shares and dollar value. Recent trades consist entirely of stock awards granted March 31. CEO David Trautman received 2,212 shares. CFO Brady Burt received 1,072 shares. Chief Accounting Officer Matthew Miller received 1,522 shares, while Kelly Herreman received 524 shares across two transactions.
A year earlier, March 2025 saw small sales: Burt sold 672 shares at $151.40 for $101,741. Miller sold 563 shares for $85,238. Herreman sold 139 shares for $21,045. Those sales accompanied equity awards.
PRK reports earnings Sunday evening, April 27 at 6:00 PM ET. The company reported after the close on April 24. Prior earnings dates include January 30, January 26, and October 31, 2025.
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