Columbia Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLBK) Short Interest Update

Columbia Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLBK) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,030,000 shares, a decline of 8.6% from the January 15th total of 2,220,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 94,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 21.6 days. Approximately 7.6% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Columbia Financial Stock Performance

Shares of CLBK traded down $0.18 on Monday, reaching $15.93. 95,355 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 105,347. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -132.75 and a beta of 0.21. Columbia Financial has a 12 month low of $13.79 and a 12 month high of $19.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Columbia Financial (NASDAQ:CLBK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.04. Columbia Financial had a negative net margin of 2.39% and a positive return on equity of 2.20%. Equities analysts forecast that Columbia Financial will post 0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Noel R. Holland sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.06, for a total transaction of $170,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $520,347.06. This represents a 24.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Columbia Financial

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Columbia Financial by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 79,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,258,000 after buying an additional 7,421 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new position in Columbia Financial in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Columbia Financial by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 12,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Columbia Financial by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Columbia Financial by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 85,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,345,000 after acquiring an additional 19,460 shares during the period. 12.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Columbia Financial

Columbia Financial, Inc, a bank holding company, provides various financial services to businesses and consumers in the United States. Its deposit products include checking, interest-earning checking products and municipal, savings and club deposits, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.