Renaissance Technologies LLC Grows Position in Columbia Financial $CLBK

Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) by 12.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 676,066 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,334 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.65% of Columbia Financial worth $11,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Columbia Financial by 2,322.2% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 2,508 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Columbia Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at about $120,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Columbia Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $168,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Columbia Financial by 73.1% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 12,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 5,119 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Columbia Financial by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 12,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 939 shares in the last quarter. 12.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Columbia Financial Price Performance

Shares of Columbia Financial stock opened at $10.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $2.47 billion, a PE ratio of 32.23 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $19.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.31. Columbia Financial has a twelve month low of $6.21 and a twelve month high of $11.74.

Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.08. Columbia Financial had a return on equity of 5.29% and a net margin of 11.19%.The firm had revenue of $73.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $71.15 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Columbia Financial will post 0.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Columbia Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CLBK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Columbia Financial in a report on Friday, June 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Columbia Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.50.

Columbia Financial Company Profile

Columbia Financial, Inc is the bank holding company for Columbia Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Through its principal subsidiary, Columbia Bank, the company offers a comprehensive suite of retail and commercial banking products and services. These offerings include deposit accounts, consumer and mortgage lending, commercial real estate financing, and business banking solutions tailored to small- and medium-sized enterprises.

On the consumer side, Columbia Bank provides checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, home equity lines of credit, and residential mortgage loans.