Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFBK) Short Interest Up 29.1% in February

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFBK) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 573,739 shares, an increase of 29.1% from the January 29th total of 444,514 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 681,253 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 681,253 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Northfield Bancorp Stock Performance

NFBK stock opened at $13.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $562.09 million, a PE ratio of 1,346.00 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $12.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.73. Northfield Bancorp has a 1-year low of $9.40 and a 1-year high of $14.05.

Northfield Bancorp (NASDAQ:NFBK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The bank reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $78.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.48 million. Northfield Bancorp had a return on equity of 5.91% and a net margin of 0.30%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northfield Bancorp will post 0.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Northfield Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 12th were paid a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 12th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Northfield Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 5,200.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFBK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. New Street Research set a $14.50 price target on shares of Northfield Bancorp in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Northfield Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Northfield Bancorp from $12.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northfield Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northfield Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NFBK. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Northfield Bancorp by 6.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 23,012 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Northfield Bancorp by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 133,823 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,460,000 after buying an additional 4,741 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Northfield Bancorp by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 18,111 shares of the bank’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 1,841 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Northfield Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $172,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors bought a new position in Northfield Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $259,000. 65.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northfield Bancorp Company Profile

Northfield Bancorp is the bank holding company for Northfield Bank, a New Jersey‐based community bank offering a full range of financial products and services. Headquartered in New Jersey, the company serves individuals, families and small to mid‐sized businesses across Northern and Central New Jersey. Northfield Bancorp focuses on building lasting customer relationships through a combination of personalized service and technology‐driven solutions.

Through its subsidiary, Northfield Bank provides personal banking services such as checking and savings accounts, consumer loans, mortgage products and home equity lines of credit.