South Dakota Investment Council Has $7.11 Million Stock Holdings in Berry Co. (NASDAQ:BRY)

South Dakota Investment Council decreased its holdings in Berry Co. (NASDAQ:BRY) by 26.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,010,976 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 371,500 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Berry were worth $7,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BRY. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Berry by 2,942.5% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,039,356 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $7,307,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,195 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Berry by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,085,554 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $8,902,000 after acquiring an additional 425,293 shares in the last quarter. Foundry Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Berry by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 678,441 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $5,563,000 after buying an additional 203,651 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Berry by 263.8% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 273,830 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,245,000 after buying an additional 198,566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Berry during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,366,000. Institutional investors own 94.88% of the company’s stock.

Berry Stock Performance

Shares of Berry stock traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.52. 537,797 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 963,821. Berry Co. has a 12 month low of $6.22 and a 12 month high of $8.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $655.53 million, a P/E ratio of 18.48 and a beta of 1.80.

Berry (NASDAQ:BRY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 6th. The energy company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.12). Berry had a return on equity of 5.27% and a net margin of 4.14%. The firm had revenue of $216.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.28 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. Berry’s quarterly revenue was down 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Berry Co. will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Berry Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a None dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.7%. This is a positive change from Berry’s previous None dividend of $0.21. Berry’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, TheStreet raised shares of Berry from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th.

About Berry

Berry Petroleum Company, LLC., formerly Berry Petroleum Company, is an independent energy company. The Company is engaged in the production, development, exploitation, and acquisition of oil and natural gas. The Company’s principal reserves and producing properties are located in California (South Midway-Sunset (SMWSS)-Steam Floods, North Midway-Sunset (NMWSS)-Diatomite, NMWSS-New Steam Floods, Texas (Permian and E.