Short Interest in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) Grows By 14.2%

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 69,800 shares, an increase of 14.2% from the May 31st total of 61,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 44,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on BCB Bancorp from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BCB Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark D. Hogan acquired 5,000 shares of BCB Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.90 per share, for a total transaction of $49,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 83,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $825,184.80. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Tara L. French purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.70 per share, for a total transaction of $26,750.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,750. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark D. Hogan bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $9.90 per share, with a total value of $49,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 83,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $825,184.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 16,422 shares of company stock worth $163,776. Insiders own 28.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its stake in BCB Bancorp by 91.1% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,727 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of BCB Bancorp by 92.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,201 shares of the bank’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 3,460 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BCB Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $106,000. RMR Wealth Builders purchased a new stake in BCB Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $164,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of BCB Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.00% of the company’s stock.

BCB Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of BCBP traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $10.36. The stock had a trading volume of 2,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,029. BCB Bancorp has a 12 month low of $9.19 and a 12 month high of $13.90. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.71 million, a PE ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.58.

BCB Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCBP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The bank reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $51.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.87 million. BCB Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 13.41%. Analysts anticipate that BCB Bancorp will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

BCB Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 2nd. BCB Bancorp’s payout ratio is 41.03%.

About BCB Bancorp

BCB Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for BCB Community Bank that engages in the provision of banking products and services to businesses and individuals in the United States. The company offers insured deposit products, including savings and club accounts, interest and non-interest-bearing demand accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts.