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

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCBP - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 81,900 shares, an increase of 9.8% from the December 15th total of 74,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 43,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company's stock are sold short.

BCB Bancorp Stock Performance

BCB Bancorp stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.61. The stock had a trading volume of 40,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 47,214. The company has a 50-day moving average of $12.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. BCB Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $9.19 and a fifty-two week high of $14.04. The company has a market cap of $197.95 million, a PE ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 0.61.

BCB Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCBP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The bank reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.04. BCB Bancorp had a return on equity of 7.31% and a net margin of 10.59%. The firm had revenue of $51.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $25.29 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that BCB Bancorp will post 1.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of BCB Bancorp from $13.25 to $13.50 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Insider Transactions at BCB Bancorp

In other BCB Bancorp news, COO Ryan Blake sold 8,677 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $514,067.72. This represents a 18.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 28.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BCB Bancorp

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BCB Bancorp by 105.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,116 shares of the bank's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 2,624 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in BCB Bancorp by 5.1% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,669 shares of the bank's stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of BCB Bancorp by 235.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,375 shares of the bank's stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 15,702 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of BCB Bancorp during the second quarter worth $334,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of BCB Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $356,000. 36.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.