ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of ECB Bancorp from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

ECB Bancorp Trading Up 0.3%

ECB Bancorp stock opened at $18.67 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $17.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. ECB Bancorp has a 12 month low of $14.82 and a 12 month high of $20.05. The stock has a market cap of $163.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08 and a beta of 0.49.

ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. ECB Bancorp had a return on equity of 4.59% and a net margin of 9.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Maura Ellen Sullivan acquired 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.50 per share, for a total transaction of $40,700.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 5,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,450. This trade represents a 62.86% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 10.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of ECB Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in ECB Bancorp by 114.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 172,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,669,000 after acquiring an additional 92,310 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ECB Bancorp by 3.1% during the third quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 118,853 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,886,000 after acquiring an additional 3,583 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of ECB Bancorp by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 43,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Covalent Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ECB Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $574,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of ECB Bancorp by 99.3% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 20,723 shares of the company's stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 10,327 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 30.27% of the company's stock.

ECB Bancorp Company Profile

ECB Bancorp, Inc operating as a holding company for Everett Co-operative Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including certificate of deposit accounts, IRAs, money market accounts, savings accounts, demand deposit accounts, and interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking accounts. It also offers one- to four-family residential real estate, commercial real estate and multifamily real estate, construction and land, commercial, and consumer loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit.

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