Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL) Short Interest Update

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,670,000 shares, an increase of 35.8% from the November 30th total of 1,230,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 678,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Brookline Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,431,291 shares of the bank's stock valued at $11,951,000 after buying an additional 249,113 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 99.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 212,904 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,149,000 after acquiring an additional 106,345 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in Brookline Bancorp by 384.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 59,333 shares of the bank's stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 47,094 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in Brookline Bancorp by 12.2% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 196,979 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,988,000 after buying an additional 21,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centiva Capital LP acquired a new position in Brookline Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $432,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.91% of the company's stock.

Brookline Bancorp Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of BRKL traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.77. The company had a trading volume of 797,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,896. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18 and a beta of 0.78. The company's 50 day moving average price is $12.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $10.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Brookline Bancorp has a 52 week low of $8.01 and a 52 week high of $13.15.

Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.03. Brookline Bancorp had a return on equity of 6.20% and a net margin of 11.40%. The firm had revenue of $165.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $88.67 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brookline Bancorp will post 0.82 EPS for the current year.

Brookline Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.135 per share. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Brookline Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BRKL shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Brookline Bancorp from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $14.50 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James upgraded Brookline Bancorp from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $16.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Brookline Bancorp in a report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock.

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.