Stifel Financial Corp Decreases Position in Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB - Free Report) by 56.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 69,178 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Columbia Banking System were worth $1,451,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Columbia Banking System in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Columbia Banking System in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Columbia Banking System during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Columbia Banking System by 62.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Columbia Banking System by 171.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,127 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Columbia Banking System

In other Columbia Banking System news, VP Torran B. Nixon sold 4,481 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.99, for a total transaction of $116,461.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 104,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,725,545.31. This represents a 4.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Columbia Banking System Stock Performance

Columbia Banking System stock traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $25.60. 442,420 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,770,241. The company's fifty day moving average is $23.40 and its 200-day moving average is $26.72. The firm has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 0.59. Columbia Banking System, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.11 and a 52 week high of $32.85.

Columbia Banking System (NASDAQ:COLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $481.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $482.86 million. Columbia Banking System had a net margin of 17.99% and a return on equity of 11.21%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Columbia Banking System, Inc. will post 2.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Columbia Banking System Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Columbia Banking System's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Columbia Banking System and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Columbia Banking System from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Columbia Banking System from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Columbia Banking System from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Columbia Banking System from $32.00 to $27.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $29.85.

Columbia Banking System Profile

Columbia Banking System, Inc operates as the holding company of Umpqua Bank that provides banking, private banking, mortgage, and other financial services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business, non-interest bearing checking, interest-bearing checking and savings, money market, and certificate of deposit accounts; and insured cash sweep and other investment sweep solutions.