Xponance Inc. Acquires 1,259 Shares of Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB)

Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Columbia Banking System were worth $643,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Columbia Banking System in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Columbia Banking System by 62.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Columbia Banking System by 171.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,343 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Columbia Banking System by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Columbia Banking System by 22,244.4% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 6,006 shares during the period. 92.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Columbia Banking System

In other Columbia Banking System news, VP Torran B. Nixon sold 4,481 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.99, for a total value of $116,461.19. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 104,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,725,545.31. This represents a 4.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Columbia Banking System from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Columbia Banking System in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $32.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Columbia Banking System from $34.00 to $33.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Columbia Banking System from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Columbia Banking System from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.25.

Columbia Banking System Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COLB opened at $25.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.07 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $26.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.49. Columbia Banking System, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.08 and a 52-week high of $32.85.

Columbia Banking System (NASDAQ:COLB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.06. Columbia Banking System had a net margin of 17.99% and a return on equity of 11.21%. On average, equities analysts predict that Columbia Banking System, Inc. will post 2.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Columbia Banking System Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Columbia Banking System’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.69%.

Columbia Banking System Profile

Columbia Banking System, Inc operates as the holding company of Umpqua Bank that provides banking, private banking, mortgage, and other financial services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, including business, non-interest bearing checking, interest-bearing checking and savings, money market, and certificate of deposit accounts; and insured cash sweep and other investment sweep solutions.