Insider Buying: Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK) Insider Buys 74,400 Shares of Stock

Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK) insider Alexandros Pappas purchased 74,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $28.27 per share, with a total value of $2,103,288.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 2,532,150 shares in the company, valued at $71,583,880.50. This represents a 3.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Star Bulk Carriers Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:SBLK traded up $0.90 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $31.77. The stock had a trading volume of 265,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,428,383. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. has a 1 year low of $16.72 and a 1 year high of $32.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $29.05 and its 200-day moving average is $26.58.

Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The shipping company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $284.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $284.29 million. Star Bulk Carriers had a net margin of 23.87% and a return on equity of 11.72%. Research analysts predict that Star Bulk Carriers Corp. will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Star Bulk Carriers Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This is an increase from Star Bulk Carriers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.3%. Star Bulk Carriers’s dividend payout ratio is presently 141.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SBLK. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Star Bulk Carriers from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Star Bulk Carriers from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Star Bulk Carriers in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Star Bulk Carriers from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Star Bulk Carriers currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $31.50.

Institutional Trading of Star Bulk Carriers

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SBLK. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in Star Bulk Carriers during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Star Bulk Carriers in the first quarter valued at $187,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Star Bulk Carriers in the first quarter valued at $193,000. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Star Bulk Carriers by 190.3% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,363 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 6,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Star Bulk Carriers during the 1st quarter worth about $403,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 33.91% of the company’s stock.

Star Bulk Carriers News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Star Bulk Carriers this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company insiders bought a combined 33,000 shares worth approximately $932,910 at $28.27 per share. Purchases included 15,000 shares by CFO Symeon Spyrou, 10,000 by COO Nikolaos Rescos, 6,000 by Director Koert Erhardt and 2,000 by Director Nikolaos Karellis. The purchases may signal that management views SBLK as attractively valued. Insider buying report
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added SBLK to its Rank #1 “Strong Buy” list and its Strong Buy income-stock list. The upgrade may attract momentum and dividend-focused investors, although it does not directly change the company’s earnings outlook. Zacks Strong Buy report
• Positive Sentiment: Star Bulk completed a public offering tied to its Euronext Athens listing, raising approximately €107.8 million. The proceeds strengthen liquidity and could support fleet investments or other corporate purposes. Euronext offering results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company listed on Euronext Athens and formally designated Greece as its home member state under Greek securities law. The move broadens access to European investors but has limited immediate effect on revenue or cash flow. Euronext listing announcement
• Negative Sentiment: The follow-on equity offering increases the number of shares outstanding, creating potential dilution for existing shareholders and adding near-term selling pressure. Investors will weigh that risk against the company’s stronger balance-sheet liquidity. Follow-on offering report

About Star Bulk Carriers

Star Bulk Carriers Corp. is a global dry bulk shipping company that owns and operates vessels used to transport major and minor bulk commodities. Its fleet serves the international supply chains for iron ore, grain, bauxite, fertilizers, steel products and other dry cargoes.

The company operates a diversified fleet that includes large Capesize and Newcastlemax vessels as well as Panamax, Ultramax and Supramax bulk carriers. Star Bulk’s vessels serve customers and ports across major shipping routes worldwide, supporting commodity trade between producers, exporters and end markets.

Star Bulk Carriers was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Maroussi, Greece, with the company incorporated in the Marshall Islands.