BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 81,900 shares, an increase of 9.8% from the December 31st total of 74,600 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

BCB Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of BCB Bancorp stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Monday, reaching $10.66. 27,844 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 60,227. BCB Bancorp has a 52-week low of $9.19 and a 52-week high of $14.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.19. The company has a market capitalization of $181.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.60.

BCB Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCBP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.13). BCB Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.33% and a net margin of 9.46%. Sell-side analysts expect that BCB Bancorp will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

BCB Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. BCB Bancorp’s payout ratio is 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BCBP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on BCB Bancorp from $15.00 to $13.75 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on BCB Bancorp from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Ryan Blake sold 8,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.06, for a total transaction of $113,321.62. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 39,362 shares in the company, valued at $514,067.72. This trade represents a 18.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 28.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BCB Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in BCB Bancorp by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,669 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of BCB Bancorp by 105.3% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,116 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 2,624 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BCB Bancorp by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 73,121 shares of the bank’s stock worth $902,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of BCB Bancorp by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 367,403 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,534,000 after purchasing an additional 7,631 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in BCB Bancorp by 235.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,375 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 15,702 shares during the last quarter. 36.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BCB Bancorp Company Profile

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.