New York State Teachers Retirement System Increases Stock Holdings in Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 283,222 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,683 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.06% of Valley National Bancorp worth $2,566,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valley National Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Valley National Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Valley National Bancorp by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valley National Bancorp by 557.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 8,679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 7,358 shares during the period. Finally, Greenwich Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valley National Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at $95,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.00% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valley National Bancorp

In other Valley National Bancorp news, EVP Joseph Chillura sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.21, for a total transaction of $510,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 495,249 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,056,492.29. The trade was a 9.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Valley National Bancorp Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of VLY stock opened at $9.53 on Friday. Valley National Bancorp has a 1-year low of $6.47 and a 1-year high of $11.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $9.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 1.12.

Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.02). Valley National Bancorp had a return on equity of 5.14% and a net margin of 10.62%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Valley National Bancorp will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valley National Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.62%. Valley National Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 63.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Valley National Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $12.50 target price on shares of Valley National Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on Valley National Bancorp from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valley National Bancorp from $10.50 to $11.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of Valley National Bancorp in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.67.

Valley National Bancorp Company Profile

Valley National Bancorp operates as the holding company for Valley National Bank that provides various commercial, private banking, retail, insurance, and wealth management financial services products. It operates through Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Corporate other segments.