Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI) Short Interest Update

Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 60,800 shares, an increase of 53.9% from the March 15th total of 39,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 29,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Barrett Business Services

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Barrett Business Services by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 4,940 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 1,410 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Barrett Business Services by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 55,173 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,275,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Barrett Business Services by 4,307.1% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 617 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Barrett Business Services during the first quarter worth about $529,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Barrett Business Services by 57.5% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 3,590 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 1,311 shares in the last quarter. 86.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Barrett Business Services Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Barrett Business Services stock traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $120.21. 20,683 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,043. The company has a market capitalization of $789.78 million, a P/E ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.35. Barrett Business Services has a 1 year low of $76.22 and a 1 year high of $130.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $118.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.12.

Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ:BBSI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The business services provider reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.02 billion. Barrett Business Services had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 27.69%. As a group, research analysts predict that Barrett Business Services will post 7.78 EPS for the current year.

Barrett Business Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Barrett Business Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $141.00 price target on shares of Barrett Business Services in a research note on Monday, April 1st.

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.