Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) Share Price Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.15 and traded as high as $11.45. Columbia Financial shares last traded at $11.35, with a volume of 4,507,708 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on CLBK. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Columbia Financial from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Brean Capital raised shares of Columbia Financial from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. New Street Research set a $14.00 price objective on Columbia Financial in a report on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered Columbia Financial from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $14.00 price objective on Columbia Financial in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.10.

Columbia Financial Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $11.15 and a 200 day moving average of $15.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.38 and a beta of 0.27.

Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.01. Columbia Financial had a net margin of 8.54% and a return on equity of 5.17%. The company had revenue of $100.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $129.93 million. On average, research analysts predict that Columbia Financial will post 0.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Columbia Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Columbia Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Columbia Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in Columbia Financial during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Columbia Financial by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 55,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $976,000 after purchasing an additional 3,695 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Columbia Financial by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 48,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 3,798 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Columbia Financial by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 96,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 8,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Columbia Financial by 57.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 25,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 9,439 shares during the last quarter. 12.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Columbia Financial Company Profile

Columbia Financial, Inc. is the holding company for Columbia Bank, a community bank headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The bank serves individuals, businesses and organizations, primarily in northern and central New Jersey. Columbia Bank offers deposit accounts and lending services, including residential mortgages, home equity loans, commercial real estate financing and other business loans. It also provides digital and traditional banking services for personal and business customers. The bank traces its history to the Columbia Building and Loan Association, established in 1926.