Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Safe Bulkers, Inc (NYSE:SBGet Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $8.87 and last traded at $8.7550, with a volume of 166718 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.63.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Safe Bulkers from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Get Our Latest Report on SB

Safe Bulkers Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $889.49 million, a PE ratio of 11.19 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $7.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.83.

Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SBGet Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The shipping company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.06. Safe Bulkers had a net margin of 28.29% and a return on equity of 9.63%. The business had revenue of $87.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.50 million.

Safe Bulkers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 13th. This is a positive change from Safe Bulkers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Safe Bulkers’s dividend payout ratio is 38.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SB. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Safe Bulkers by 692.7% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 262,615 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $1,662,000 after buying an additional 229,486 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Safe Bulkers in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,625,000. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Safe Bulkers during the 2nd quarter worth $1,641,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Safe Bulkers in the 2nd quarter worth $5,690,000. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its position in Safe Bulkers by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 806,379 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $3,887,000 after purchasing an additional 118,681 shares in the last quarter. 21.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Safe Bulkers Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Safe Bulkers Inc (NYSE: SB) is a dry bulk shipping company engaged in the ocean transport of commodities such as iron ore, coal, grain, and fertilizers. The company operates a modern fleet of vessels, including Panamax, Supramax and Kamsarmax bulk carriers, designed to serve a variety of trade routes and cargo types. Safe Bulkers’ fleet is employed under both time charter and voyage charter arrangements, offering flexibility to respond to market demand and optimize vessel utilization.

Founded in 2008, Safe Bulkers began trading its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in the same year, establishing itself as a publicly listed provider of dry bulk transportation services.

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