BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) Short Interest Update

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Transactions at BCB Bancorp

In related news, Director Tara L. French purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.70 per share, with a total value of $26,750.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,750. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other BCB Bancorp news, Director Mark D. Hogan purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.90 per share, for a total transaction of $49,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 88,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $874,684.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tara L. French acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $10.70 per share, with a total value of $26,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,750. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 16,422 shares of company stock worth $163,776. 28.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BCB Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCBP. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in BCB Bancorp by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 775,070 shares of the bank’s stock worth $8,099,000 after buying an additional 25,064 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management increased its position in BCB Bancorp by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 177,191 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,277,000 after acquiring an additional 30,800 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in BCB Bancorp by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 64,643 shares of the bank’s stock worth $676,000 after purchasing an additional 4,867 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in BCB Bancorp by 51.7% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 53,760 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 18,327 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in BCB Bancorp by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 43,600 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $560,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. 36.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BCB Bancorp Stock Up 3.8 %

Shares of BCBP stock opened at $10.63 on Monday. BCB Bancorp has a 52-week low of $9.19 and a 52-week high of $13.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $180.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.81 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $10.04 and its 200-day moving average is $10.92.

BCB Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCBP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The bank reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $51.39 million for 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that BCB Bancorp will post 1.25 EPS for the current year.

BCB Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.02%. BCB Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.