BNP Paribas Financial Markets Reduces Position in Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its holdings in shares of Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI - Free Report) by 69.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,711 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 8,599 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Barrett Business Services were worth $161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Barrett Business Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Barrett Business Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Barrett Business Services in the 4th quarter valued at $217,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Barrett Business Services in the 4th quarter valued at $218,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Barrett Business Services during the 4th quarter worth $298,000. 86.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Barrett Business Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BBSI traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.83. The stock had a trading volume of 142,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 141,101. Barrett Business Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.77 and a twelve month high of $44.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.02.

Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ:BBSI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The business services provider reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $292.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $285.91 million. Barrett Business Services had a net margin of 4.55% and a return on equity of 25.28%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Barrett Business Services, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Barrett Business Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. Barrett Business Services's payout ratio is 16.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Barrett Business Services

In other news, Director Thomas J. Carley sold 12,354 shares of Barrett Business Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.60, for a total transaction of $526,280.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 91,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,903,352.80. The trade was a 11.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BBSI shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Barrett Business Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Barrett Business Services in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th.

Barrett Business Services Company Profile

Barrett Business Services, Inc provides business management solutions for small and mid-sized companies in the United States. The company develops a management platform that integrates a knowledge-based approach from the management consulting industry with tools from the human resource outsourcing industry.