XTX Topco Ltd Buys Shares of 35,605 Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 35,605 shares of the shipping company's stock, valued at approximately $532,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SBLK. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new stake in Star Bulk Carriers during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Star Bulk Carriers during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Star Bulk Carriers by 177.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the shipping company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676 shares during the period. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Star Bulk Carriers during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Star Bulk Carriers by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,063 shares of the shipping company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038 shares during the last quarter. 33.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Star Bulk Carriers Trading Up 1.0 %

SBLK stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $14.59. The stock had a trading volume of 314,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,852,377. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.42. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. has a 1-year low of $12.06 and a 1-year high of $27.47. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.77.

Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The shipping company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.08). Star Bulk Carriers had a net margin of 24.08% and a return on equity of 12.48%. The business had revenue of $308.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $230.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Star Bulk Carriers Corp. will post 1.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Star Bulk Carriers Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. Star Bulk Carriers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on SBLK shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Star Bulk Carriers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Star Bulk Carriers from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.05.

Star Bulk Carriers Profile

Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a shipping company, engages in the ocean transportation of dry bulk cargoes worldwide. Its vessels transport a range of bulk commodities, including iron ores, minerals and grains, bauxite, fertilizers, and steel products. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned a fleet of 116 dry bulk vessels with combined carrying capacity of 13.1 million deadweight tonnage (dwt) consisting of Newcastlemax, Capesize, Post Panamax, Kamsarmax, Panamax, Ultramax, and Supramax vessels with carrying capacities between 53,489 dwt and 209,537 dwt.