Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Sells 1,097,398 Shares of Kearny Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:KRNY)

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lessened its stake in Kearny Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:KRNY - Free Report) by 38.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,777,405 shares of the savings and loans company's stock after selling 1,097,398 shares during the quarter. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned 2.75% of Kearny Financial worth $15,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Kearny Financial by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 36,258 shares of the savings and loans company's stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 1,019 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kearny Financial by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 27,996 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 4,371 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kearny Financial by 18.5% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 75,322 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 11,767 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Kearny Financial by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,044,277 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $77,851,000 after purchasing an additional 101,930 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kearny Financial by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 562,844 shares of the savings and loans company's stock valued at $7,250,000 after purchasing an additional 45,942 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Kearny Financial from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, January 12th.

Kearny Financial Price Performance

Shares of KRNY traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $6.09. 451,308 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 439,196. The company has a market cap of $392.44 million, a PE ratio of 21.00 and a beta of 0.71. Kearny Financial Corp. has a 52-week low of $5.78 and a 52-week high of $9.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $6.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Kearny Financial (NASDAQ:KRNY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The savings and loans company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.06). Kearny Financial had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 4.44%. The company had revenue of $19.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $42.60 million.

Kearny Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 6th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.22%. Kearny Financial's payout ratio is presently 151.73%.

Insider Activity at Kearny Financial

In related news, Director Melvina Wong-Zaza purchased 3,945 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.47 per share, for a total transaction of $25,524.15. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,669.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Kearny Financial news, Director Melvina Wong-Zaza acquired 3,945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.47 per share, with a total value of $25,524.15. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,669.65. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher Petermann acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.14 per share, for a total transaction of $61,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 56,139 shares in the company, valued at $344,693.46. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 15,945 shares of company stock worth $98,664. Company insiders own 8.22% of the company's stock.

About Kearny Financial

Kearny Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Kearny Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States. The company offers various deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit accounts.