Acuitas Investments LLC Buys 158,455 Shares of HomeStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:HMST)

Acuitas Investments LLC raised its position in HomeStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:HMST - Free Report) by 86.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 342,643 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 158,455 shares during the quarter. HomeStreet makes up about 1.8% of Acuitas Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Acuitas Investments LLC owned about 1.82% of HomeStreet worth $3,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of HomeStreet by 2,222.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in HomeStreet in the 4th quarter valued at $129,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in HomeStreet by 47.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 435,099 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,389,000 after purchasing an additional 140,357 shares during the last quarter. Terrapin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in HomeStreet in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,926,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in HomeStreet in the 3rd quarter valued at $478,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on HMST. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of HomeStreet in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "sell" rating for the company. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of HomeStreet from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of HomeStreet from $11.00 to $15.50 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.17.

HomeStreet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HMST traded down $0.04 on Thursday, reaching $12.23. 236,083 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 289,466. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.66. HomeStreet, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.20 and a 1-year high of $15.82. The firm has a market cap of $230.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.25 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $14.07 and a 200-day moving average of $10.77.

HomeStreet (NASDAQ:HMST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.15). HomeStreet had a positive return on equity of 1.55% and a negative net margin of 6.23%. The company had revenue of $45.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.73 million. Equities analysts forecast that HomeStreet, Inc. will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other HomeStreet news, Director Joanne R. Harrell acquired 1,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.87 per share, for a total transaction of $25,055.95. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,907 shares of the company's stock, valued at $221,667.09. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.60% of the company's stock.

HomeStreet Company Profile

HomeStreet, Inc operates as the bank holding company for HomeStreet Bank that provides commercial, mortgage, and consumer/retail banking services in the Western United States. The company offers personal and business checking, savings, interest-bearing negotiable order of withdrawal, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; credit cards; insurance; and treasury management services.