Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Safe Bulkers stock crossed above its 200‑day moving average ($5.29), trading as high as $6.57 and last at $6.4760 on volume of 535,378, signaling potential technical momentum.
• Analysts hold an average "Hold" rating with a consensus target of $6.00 (one Buy, two Hold), and Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)."
• The company reported quarterly EPS $0.14 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $72.57M (above expectations), pays a $0.05 quarterly dividend (3.1% yield), and saw increased institutional buying including a notable stake build by Goldman Sachs.

Safe Bulkers, Inc (NYSE:SB - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $5.29 and traded as high as $6.57. Safe Bulkers shares last traded at $6.4760, with a volume of 535,378 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Safe Bulkers in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Safe Bulkers Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $6.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.29. The stock has a market cap of $662.24 million, a PE ratio of 21.59 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.63 and a current ratio of 2.90.

Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The shipping company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14. The firm had revenue of $72.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.00 million. Safe Bulkers had a return on equity of 4.91% and a net margin of 13.99%. Equities analysts anticipate that Safe Bulkers, Inc will post 0.62 EPS for the current year.

Safe Bulkers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Safe Bulkers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Safe Bulkers

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Safe Bulkers by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,651,114 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $12,778,000 after purchasing an additional 617,711 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Safe Bulkers by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,314,711 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $4,739,000 after purchasing an additional 62,931 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Safe Bulkers by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 1,187,934 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $5,726,000 after purchasing an additional 36,356 shares in the last quarter. Fearnley Asset Management AS purchased a new position in Safe Bulkers in the 4th quarter worth about $5,112,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Safe Bulkers by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 955,469 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $4,242,000 after purchasing an additional 25,388 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.69% of the company's stock.

About Safe Bulkers

Safe Bulkers Inc NYSE: SB is a dry bulk shipping company engaged in the ocean transport of commodities such as iron ore, coal, grain, and fertilizers. The company operates a modern fleet of vessels, including Panamax, Supramax and Kamsarmax bulk carriers, designed to serve a variety of trade routes and cargo types. Safe Bulkers’ fleet is employed under both time charter and voyage charter arrangements, offering flexibility to respond to market demand and optimize vessel utilization.

Founded in 2008, Safe Bulkers began trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in the same year, establishing itself as a publicly listed provider of dry bulk transportation services.

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