Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ:SBLK) CFO Symeon Spyrou Purchases 15,000 Shares of Stock

Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK) CFO Symeon Spyrou purchased 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $28.27 per share, with a total value of $424,050.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 241,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,818,724. The trade was a 6.63% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Star Bulk Carriers Stock Performance

Shares of Star Bulk Carriers stock opened at $30.87 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.58. The company has a market cap of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.91. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. has a one year low of $16.72 and a one year high of $32.88.

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

Star Bulk Carriers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.90 dividend. 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 11.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Star Bulk Carriers’s payout ratio is currently 141.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Star Bulk Carriers from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Star Bulk Carriers from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Star Bulk Carriers in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Star Bulk Carriers from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Star Bulk Carriers

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

• Positive Sentiment: Three insiders purchased a combined 23,000 shares for approximately $650,000 at an average price of $28.27. CFO Symeon Spyrou made the largest purchase, adding 15,000 shares, while directors Koert Erhardt and Nikolaos Karellis also increased their holdings. Insider buying can signal management confidence in the company’s valuation and outlook. SEC insider purchase filing
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added SBLK to its Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” lists, including its income-stock list. The upgrade may attract additional interest from quantitative and income-oriented investors, although it is not a change to the company’s fundamentals. Zacks Strong Buy list
• Neutral Sentiment: Star Bulk completed the listing of its shares on Euronext Athens and formally designated Greece as its home member state under Greek securities law. The move strengthens the company’s connection to Greek capital markets and may broaden local investor access, but it does not immediately change earnings or cash flow. Star Bulk Euronext listing
• Neutral Sentiment: The Greek offering raised approximately €107.8 million and resulted in the admission of 116,071,386 common shares to the Euronext Athens market. The additional capital could support fleet investment or balance-sheet flexibility, but investors are weighing those benefits against the increased share count. Star Bulk Greek offering
• Negative Sentiment: The issuance of new shares creates dilution for existing shareholders and may temporarily increase the available supply of SBLK stock. That overhang is the clearest near-term reason the shares may be under pressure despite insider purchases, the new listing and bullish analyst-screening signals.

Institutional Trading of Star Bulk Carriers

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Impala Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Star Bulk Carriers by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 167,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,210,000 after acquiring an additional 47,000 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Star Bulk Carriers by 48.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 565,562 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $12,991,000 after purchasing an additional 184,837 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Star Bulk Carriers during the 1st quarter worth approximately $909,000. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Star Bulk Carriers in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $4,788,000. Finally, Fearnley Asset Management AS acquired a new stake in Star Bulk Carriers in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,096,000. 33.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.