Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. Reduces Stake in Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI)

Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. reduced its position in Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI - Free Report) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,351 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 9,061 shares during the quarter. Barrett Business Services accounts for approximately 1.3% of Virtus Investment Advisers Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Barrett Business Services worth $1,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Barrett Business Services in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Barrett Business Services in the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Barrett Business Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $217,000. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Barrett Business Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $218,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Barrett Business Services by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 6,773 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $294,000 after acquiring an additional 660 shares during the period. 86.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barrett Business Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BBSI traded down $0.84 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.60. 96,672 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 142,216. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.02. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $40.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.70. Barrett Business Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.96 and a 12-month high of $44.97.

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

Barrett Business Services Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BBSI has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Barrett Business Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Barrett Business Services in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Barrett Business Services 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.