Short Interest in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP) Increases By 9.8%

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP - Get Free Report) was the target 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 company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 43,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

BCB Bancorp Stock Performance

BCBP traded up $0.08 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 36,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 58,521. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. BCB Bancorp has a 52-week low of $9.19 and a 52-week high of $14.04. The company's fifty day moving average price is $11.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.16. The company has a market capitalization of $184.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.60.

BCB Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCBP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The bank reported $0.16 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that BCB Bancorp will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BCB Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.91%. BCB Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BCB Bancorp news, COO Ryan Blake sold 8,677 shares of BCB Bancorp stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.06, for a total transaction of $113,321.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 39,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $514,067.72. The trade was a 18.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 28.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BCBP. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of BCB Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $1,450,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in BCB Bancorp by 345.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 59,707 shares of the bank's stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 46,302 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BCB Bancorp during the second quarter valued at $334,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of BCB Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $356,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of BCB Bancorp by 235.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,375 shares of the bank's stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 15,702 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on BCBP shares. Piper Sandler cut 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 cut their price objective on shares of BCB Bancorp from $15.00 to $13.75 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

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.