Bayview Asset Management LLC Takes $9.33 Million Position in Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BHLB)

Bayview Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BHLB - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 344,828 shares of the savings and loans company's stock, valued at approximately $9,330,000. Berkshire Hills Bancorp comprises about 7.5% of Bayview Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Bayview Asset Management LLC owned 0.80% of Berkshire Hills Bancorp at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BHLB. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Berkshire Hills Bancorp by 105.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 96,380 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $2,595,000 after acquiring an additional 49,356 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Berkshire Hills Bancorp by 61.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 190,673 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $5,135,000 after purchasing an additional 72,402 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Berkshire Hills Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth about $6,672,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Berkshire Hills Bancorp by 57.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,869 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,051 shares during the period. Finally, Plimoth Trust Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of Berkshire Hills Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. 83.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Berkshire Hills Bancorp

In related news, EVP Ellen Tulchiner sold 1,052 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.97, for a total transaction of $31,528.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Trading Down 0.1 %

BHLB traded down $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.28. 303,381 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 372,339. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.75. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 0.53. Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.76 and a 1 year high of $32.36.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE:BHLB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The savings and loans company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.06. Berkshire Hills Bancorp had a return on equity of 8.91% and a net margin of 8.56%. The firm had revenue of $110.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.71 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Berkshire Hills Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of Berkshire Hills Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.13.

About Berkshire Hills Bancorp

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Berkshire Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States. The company provides various deposit accounts, including demand deposit, interest-bearing checking, regular savings, money market savings, time certificates of deposit, and retirement deposit accounts.