Short Interest in Southern California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) Increases By 6.5%

Southern California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 362,300 shares, an increase of 6.5% from the December 31st total of 340,300 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 69,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, DA Davidson dropped their price target on Southern California Bancorp from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern California Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BCAL. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern California Bancorp during the 3rd quarter valued at about $123,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern California Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $160,000. Creekside Partners acquired a new position in shares of Southern California Bancorp during the third quarter worth $190,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern California Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Aspiriant LLC acquired a new stake in Southern California Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $230,000. 55.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern California Bancorp Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of Southern California Bancorp stock traded down $0.48 on Monday, hitting $16.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 26,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 67,409. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.50. Southern California Bancorp has a 52-week low of $12.30 and a 52-week high of $18.49. The company has a market capitalization of $518.48 million, a P/E ratio of 84.74 and a beta of 1.11.

Southern California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.08. Southern California Bancorp had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 2.94%. As a group, analysts expect that Southern California Bancorp will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern California Bancorp Company Profile

Southern California Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of Southern California, N.A. that provides various financial products to individuals, professionals, and small-to medium-sized businesses. The company offers checking, personal and business savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.