Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) in a report released on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut Brookline Bancorp from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $14.50 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Raymond James raised Brookline Bancorp from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $16.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th.

Brookline Bancorp Stock Performance

BRKL stock opened at $12.69 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 0.79. Brookline Bancorp has a 12-month low of $8.01 and a 12-month high of $13.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.11.

Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.01). Brookline Bancorp had a net margin of 10.51% and a return on equity of 5.94%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Brookline Bancorp will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brookline Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.135 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. Brookline Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brookline Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 124.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,879 shares of the bank’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,595 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 174.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,154 shares of the bank’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 3,279 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 60.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,438 shares of the bank’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of Brookline Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $103,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Brookline Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth $111,000. 78.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brookline Bancorp Company Profile

Brookline Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for the Brookline Bank that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Its deposit products include demand checking, NOW, money market, and savings accounts. The company’s loan portfolio primarily comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; loans to business entities comprising commercial lines of credit; loans to condominium associations; loans and leases used to finance equipment for small businesses; financing for construction and development projects; and home equity and other consumer loans.