Short Interest in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) Increases By 19.5%

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) saw a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 142,100 shares, a growth of 19.5% from the January 15th total of 118,900 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 52,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

BCB Bancorp Price Performance

BCBP opened at $10.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.23. BCB Bancorp has a 1 year low of $9.19 and a 1 year high of $14.04. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.05. The firm has a market cap of $176.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 0.60.

BCB Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCBP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.13). BCB Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.33% and a net margin of 9.46%. As a group, analysts predict that BCB Bancorp will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

BCB Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. BCB Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Ryan Blake sold 8,677 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.06, for a total transaction of $113,321.62. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 39,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $514,067.72. This trade represents a 18.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 15.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BCB Bancorp

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BCBP. CWM LLC raised its position in BCB Bancorp by 105.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,116 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of BCB Bancorp by 27.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,763 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 1,907 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in BCB Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $127,000. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in BCB Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $168,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in BCB Bancorp by 5.1% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,669 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares in the last quarter. 36.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BCBP. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of BCB Bancorp from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of BCB Bancorp from $15.00 to $13.75 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

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.