Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) Short Interest Down 43.3% in January

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,150,000 shares, a decline of 43.3% from the January 15th total of 2,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 712,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brookline Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BRKL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Brookline Bancorp by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,570,964 shares of the bank's stock valued at $112,937,000 after acquiring an additional 45,448 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,255,331 shares of the bank's stock valued at $62,013,000 after purchasing an additional 100,610 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,129,487 shares of the bank's stock valued at $41,667,000 after acquiring an additional 21,345 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,133,365 shares of the bank's stock worth $36,974,000 after purchasing an additional 224,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Brookline Bancorp by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,089,187 shares of the bank's stock valued at $21,084,000 after purchasing an additional 26,714 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.91% of the company's stock.

Brookline Bancorp Stock Down 1.1 %

BRKL traded down $0.14 on Monday, hitting $12.18. The company had a trading volume of 247,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 531,075. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.82 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $12.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.20. Brookline Bancorp has a 12-month low of $8.01 and a 12-month high of $13.15.

Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.01). Brookline Bancorp had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 5.94%. Analysts predict that Brookline Bancorp will post 1.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brookline Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.135 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.54 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. Brookline Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BRKL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Brookline Bancorp from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $14.50 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Brookline Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of Brookline Bancorp from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $16.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th.

About Brookline Bancorp

Brookline Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for the Brookline Bank that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Its deposit products include demand checking, NOW, money market, and savings accounts. The company's loan portfolio primarily comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; loans to business entities comprising commercial lines of credit; loans to condominium associations; loans and leases used to finance equipment for small businesses; financing for construction and development projects; and home equity and other consumer loans.