Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) Sees Large Volume Increase

Shares of Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE:SB) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 373,074 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the previous session’s volume of 728,331 shares.The stock last traded at $4.86 and had previously closed at $4.78.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised Safe Bulkers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st.

Safe Bulkers Stock Down 0.3 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a current ratio of 2.11. The company has a market capitalization of $535.45 million, a P/E ratio of 7.38 and a beta of 0.91.

Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 29th. The shipping company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.01). Safe Bulkers had a net margin of 31.11% and a return on equity of 10.78%. The firm had revenue of $78.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.12 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Safe Bulkers, Inc. will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Safe Bulkers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.99%. Safe Bulkers’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Safe Bulkers

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SB. Bleakley Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Safe Bulkers during the fourth quarter worth about $85,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Safe Bulkers during the fourth quarter worth $85,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Safe Bulkers by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 281,172 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after acquiring an additional 43,070 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Safe Bulkers in the fourth quarter valued at $401,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Safe Bulkers by 368.2% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 59,933 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 47,133 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.69% of the company’s stock.

About Safe Bulkers

Safe Bulkers, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides marine drybulk transportation services. It owns and operates drybulk vessels for transporting bulk cargoes primarily coal, grain, and iron ore. The company has a fleet of 47 drybulk vessels having an aggregate carrying capacity of 4,719,600 deadweight tons.