Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE:SB) Shares Acquired by Mariner LLC

Mariner LLC increased its position in shares of Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE:SB - Free Report) by 148.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 391,015 shares of the shipping company's stock after purchasing an additional 233,743 shares during the period. Mariner LLC owned approximately 0.37% of Safe Bulkers worth $1,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SB. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Safe Bulkers by 83.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 125,238 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 56,946 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new position in Safe Bulkers in the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Safe Bulkers by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 546,562 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $1,951,000 after buying an additional 26,595 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Safe Bulkers by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 70,987 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 6,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Safe Bulkers by 107.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 82,417 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 42,598 shares during the period. 21.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Safe Bulkers Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE SB traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $3.41. 109,115 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 609,208. The company has a market cap of $358.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.92. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $3.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Safe Bulkers, Inc. has a one year low of $3.02 and a one year high of $6.33.

Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The shipping company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $69.16 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $71.90 million. Safe Bulkers had a return on equity of 10.04% and a net margin of 31.65%. On average, analysts predict that Safe Bulkers, Inc. will post 0.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Safe Bulkers Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Safe Bulkers's payout ratio is 24.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Safe Bulkers in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Safe Bulkers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. DNB Markets upgraded Safe Bulkers from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $4.20 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $4.20 price target on Safe Bulkers in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

About Safe Bulkers

Safe Bulkers, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides marine drybulk transportation services. It owns and operates drybulk vessels for transporting bulk cargoes primarily coal, grain, and iron ore. The company has a fleet of 47 drybulk vessels having an aggregate carrying capacity of 4,719,600 deadweight tons.