StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL)

Research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the bank’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on BRKL. Raymond James raised Brookline Bancorp from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $16.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered Brookline Bancorp from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $14.50 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th.

Brookline Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of Brookline Bancorp stock opened at $10.87 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $968.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $11.79 and its 200-day moving average is $11.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Brookline Bancorp has a one year low of $8.01 and a one year high of $13.15.

Brookline Bancorp (NASDAQ:BRKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.01). Brookline Bancorp had a return on equity of 5.94% and a net margin of 10.51%. Equities analysts predict that Brookline Bancorp will post 1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Brookline Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 57,132 shares of the bank’s stock worth $674,000 after purchasing an additional 811 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Brookline Bancorp by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 43,073 shares of the bank’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Brookline Bancorp by 124.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,879 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,595 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Brookline Bancorp by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 50,139 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its position in Brookline Bancorp by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 34,954 shares of the bank’s stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 2,194 shares during the period. 78.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brookline Bancorp Company Profile

Brookline Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for the Brookline Bank that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Its deposit products include demand checking, NOW, money market, and savings accounts. The company’s loan portfolio primarily comprises first mortgage loans secured by commercial, multi-family, and residential real estate properties; loans to business entities comprising commercial lines of credit; loans to condominium associations; loans and leases used to finance equipment for small businesses; financing for construction and development projects; and home equity and other consumer loans.