Assessing F.N.B Corp (FNB)’s Valuation as Short Interest Climbs Well Above Peers

F.N.B (FNB) just saw its short interest jump, with roughly 6% of its float now sold short compared with about 4% for peers, which is a clear sign sentiment has tilted more cautious.

See our latest analysis for F.N.B.

Even so, the stock has quietly ground higher, with a solid year to date share price return of 16.3% and impressive five year total shareholder return of 113.8%. This suggests sentiment has strengthened over the longer haul despite today’s more cautious positioning.

If this shift in risk appetite has you rethinking your watchlist, it could be a good moment to explore fast growing stocks with high insider ownership as potential next wave opportunities.

With short interest rising even as earnings and long term returns trend higher, the real question now is whether F.N.B’s current valuation leaves meaningful upside on the table, or if markets are already pricing in that growth.

Most Popular Narrative Narrative: 8.9% Undervalued

With F.N.B’s fair value set above the 16.91 dollars last close, the most followed narrative argues the market is still leaving value on the table.

The company's proven ability to profitably grow deposits and loans organically (averaging ~9% annually over 15 years) is reinforced by population growth and urbanization in its core Mid-Atlantic and Southeast markets, enabling sustained balance sheet expansion and fee-based income streams, which should lift both revenue and long-term earnings growth.

Read the complete narrative.

Curious how steady double digit growth, rising margins and a lower future earnings multiple can still point to upside from here? Unpack the full narrative math.

Result: Fair Value of $18.56 (UNDERVALUED)

Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts.

However, sustained tech and compliance cost inflation, or a sharper than expected commercial real estate downturn, could quickly undermine those upside assumptions.

Find out about the key risks to this F.N.B narrative.

Build Your Own F.N.B Narrative

If you see the story differently or want to stress test the numbers yourself, you can build a custom narrative in minutes, Do it your way.

A great starting point for your F.N.B research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.

Looking for more investment ideas?

Before short interest shifts again, consider preparing your next moves with hand picked opportunities from our screeners, which are built to surface quality, momentum and value in seconds.

• Look for potential multi baggers early by scanning these 3579 penny stocks with strong financials with robust balance sheets and improving fundamentals.
• Explore structural trends in automation and data by focusing on these 26 AI penny stocks involved in AI infrastructure.
• Review these 907 undervalued stocks based on cash flows that our models flag as trading below intrinsic cash flow value.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com