Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) Share Price Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Columbia Financial shares rose above their 50-day moving average, trading as high as $11.45 and last at $11.35, compared with the $11.15 average.
• Analysts give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $15.10 price target; recent individual targets ranged from $14.00 to $14.50.
• Quarterly EPS of $0.16 slightly beat the $0.15 estimate, while revenue of $100.47 million fell short of the $129.93 million consensus. The company declared a $0.05 quarterly dividend, a 1.8% yield.

Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.15 and traded as high as $11.45. Columbia Financial shares last traded at $11.35, with a volume of 4,507,708 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CLBK shares. Capital One Financial set a $14.00 target price on shares of Columbia Financial in a report on Monday, August 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Columbia Financial from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods began coverage on shares of Columbia Financial in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $14.50 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Columbia Financial from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, New Street Research set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Columbia Financial in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Columbia Financial has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $15.10.

Columbia Financial Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.51 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.90.

Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.01. Columbia Financial had a return on equity of 7.35% and a net margin of 8.54%. The firm had revenue of $100.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $129.93 million. On average, research analysts expect that Columbia Financial will post 0.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Columbia Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Columbia Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Columbia Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Columbia Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,902,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Columbia Financial by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,040,794 shares of the company's stock worth $35,734,000 after purchasing an additional 51,677 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Columbia Financial by 12.0% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 676,066 shares of the company's stock worth $11,838,000 after purchasing an additional 72,334 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Close LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Columbia Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,412,000. Finally, PEAK6 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Columbia Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,693,000. Institutional investors own 12.72% of the company's stock.

About Columbia Financial

Columbia Financial, Inc is the holding company for Columbia Bank, a community bank headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The bank serves individuals, businesses and organizations, primarily in northern and central New Jersey.

Columbia Bank offers deposit accounts and lending services, including residential mortgages, home equity loans, commercial real estate financing and other business loans. It also provides digital and traditional banking services for personal and business customers.

The bank traces its history to the Columbia Building and Loan Association, established in 1926.

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