Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB) Stock Holdings Raised by Fourthstone LLC

Fourthstone LLC increased its position in Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB - Free Report) by 47.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,035 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,835 shares during the period. Fourthstone LLC's holdings in Columbia Banking System were worth $1,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Columbia Banking System during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Columbia Banking System in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Columbia Banking System during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Columbia Banking System by 62.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in Columbia Banking System by 171.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,127 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,343 shares during the period. 92.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Columbia Banking System Price Performance

COLB stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $22.18. The stock had a trading volume of 992,306 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,775,045. Columbia Banking System, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.11 and a 12-month high of $32.85. The firm has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.73 and a beta of 0.53. The company's 50-day moving average price is $24.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.11.

Columbia Banking System (NASDAQ:COLB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.06. Columbia Banking System had a return on equity of 11.21% and a net margin of 17.99%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Columbia Banking System, Inc. will post 2.71 EPS for the current year.

Columbia Banking System Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.49%. Columbia Banking System's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.69%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Torran B. Nixon sold 4,481 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.99, for a total value of $116,461.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 104,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,725,545.31. This represents a 4.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on COLB. Citigroup lowered their target price on Columbia Banking System from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Columbia Banking System from $35.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Stephens reduced their target price on Columbia Banking System from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Columbia Banking System from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Columbia Banking System from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Columbia Banking System presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $30.00.

About Columbia Banking System

Columbia Banking System, Inc operates as the holding company of Umpqua Bank that provides banking, private banking, mortgage, and other financial services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business, non-interest bearing checking, interest-bearing checking and savings, money market, and certificate of deposit accounts; and insured cash sweep and other investment sweep solutions.