Ulysses Management LLC Sells 39,112 Shares of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCOM)

Ulysses Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCOM - Free Report) by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 214,441 shares of the savings and loans company's stock after selling 39,112 shares during the quarter. Dime Community Bancshares accounts for 1.1% of Ulysses Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Ulysses Management LLC owned 0.55% of Dime Community Bancshares worth $6,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Dime Community Bancshares by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 428,321 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $13,164,000 after acquiring an additional 69,856 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Dime Community Bancshares during the 4th quarter worth about $480,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 91.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 75,732 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $2,181,000 after purchasing an additional 36,076 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 81,602 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 12,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 50.1% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 56,472 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $1,736,000 after purchasing an additional 18,852 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.27% of the company's stock.

Dime Community Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of Dime Community Bancshares stock traded up $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $25.29. 157,371 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 268,190. The stock's fifty day moving average is $26.34 and its 200 day moving average is $30.07. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of 42.87 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.49 and a 12 month high of $37.60.

Dime Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:DCOM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The savings and loans company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $103.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $105.83 million. Dime Community Bancshares had a return on equity of 5.43% and a net margin of 4.50%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.06 EPS for the current year.

Dime Community Bancshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $0.3438 per share. This represents a $1.38 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.44%. This is an increase from Dime Community Bancshares's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Dime Community Bancshares's payout ratio is presently 158.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on DCOM shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Dime Community Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of Dime Community Bancshares from $36.00 to $32.50 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.88.

Dime Community Bancshares Profile

Dime Community Bancshares, Inc operates as the holding company for Dime Community Bank that engages in the provision of various commercial banking and financial services. The company accepts time, savings, and demand deposits from the businesses, consumers, and local municipalities. It also offers commercial real estate loans; multi-family mortgage loans; residential mortgage loans; letters of credit; secured and unsecured commercial and consumer loans; lines of credit; home equity loans; and construction and land loans.