Short Interest in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) (NASDAQ:BCBP) Decreases By 16.5%

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) (NASDAQ:BCBP) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 458,440 shares, a drop of 16.5% from the March 31st total of 548,814 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 97,477 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mark D. Hogan acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $7.97 per share, with a total value of $39,850.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 103,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $823,715.44. This trade represents a 5.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 11.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC purchased a new position in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) during the 4th quarter worth $82,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,205 shares of the bank’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) by 76.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 5,415 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 2,352 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) by 174.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,200 shares of the bank’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,669 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio increased its holdings in BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 66,500 shares of the bank’s stock worth $597,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. 36.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BCBP. Zacks Research lowered BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.00.

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) Price Performance

Shares of BCBP stock opened at $10.23 on Friday. BCB Bancorp, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.31 and a 52-week high of $10.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $177.59 million, a P/E ratio of -146.12 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $8.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.34.

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) (NASDAQ:BCBP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.01. BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) had a return on equity of 0.24% and a net margin of 0.39%.The firm had revenue of $24.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.78 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that BCB Bancorp, Inc. will post 1.1 earnings per share for the current year.

BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ) Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -457.14%.

About BCB Bancorp, Inc. (NJ)

BCB Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company incorporated in New Jersey and traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol BCBP. Its primary subsidiary, Bergen Commercial Bank, operates as a full-service community bank focused on serving the financial needs of individuals and businesses in the New York metropolitan area. Headquartered in Clifton, New Jersey, the company has built its reputation on personalized banking relationships and local decision-making.

BCB Bancorp offers a comprehensive suite of deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.