Verition Fund Management LLC Has $95,000 Stake in Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE:SB)

Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE:SB) by 27.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,400 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,913 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Safe Bulkers were worth $95,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in shares of Safe Bulkers by 14.4% during the second quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 16,863 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 2,129 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its position in Safe Bulkers by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 25,567 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 5,572 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Safe Bulkers by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,745 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 6,056 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Safe Bulkers by 269.0% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 7,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Safe Bulkers by 10.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 112,485 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 11,040 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 21.69% of the company’s stock.

Safe Bulkers Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:SB opened at $3.57 on Wednesday. Safe Bulkers, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.52 and a twelve month high of $6.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $4.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.93.

Safe Bulkers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.61%. Safe Bulkers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of Safe Bulkers in a report on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Safe Bulkers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th.

About Safe Bulkers

Safe Bulkers, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides marine drybulk transportation services. It owns and operates drybulk vessels for transporting bulk cargoes primarily coal, grain, and iron ore. The company has a fleet of 47 drybulk vessels having an aggregate carrying capacity of 4,719,600 deadweight tons.