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On Tuesday, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods maintained their Market Perform rating and $21.00 price target for OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ:OCFC). This follows the company’s announcement on Friday that it plans to redeem its preferred stock on May 15, 2025. The redemption decision aligns with the preferred stock’s scheduled shift from a 7.00% to a higher floating interest rate based on the 3-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 684.5 basis points (bps). Notably, InvestingPro data shows the company has maintained dividend payments for 29 consecutive years, with a current dividend yield of 5.23%.
The financial institution is expected to benefit from the redemption, as analysts estimate that eliminating the $1.0 million quarterly dividend could potentially add approximately $0.07 to the 2026 earnings per share (EPS), a 4% increase. However, this action would also reduce the tier 1 capital ratio by approximately 55bps.
OceanFirst Financial has been transparent about its capital strategy, indicating in recent quarters the intent to build capital to potentially redeem preferred shares. The company also has $125 million in subordinated debt, which is set to switch from a fixed 5.25% interest rate to a floating rate of Three-Month Term SOFR plus 509.5bps on May 15. If no measures are taken, this could lead to an estimated $5.1 million in additional annual interest expenses at current rates, impacting the EPS by $0.07, or 4% of the 2026 estimated EPS.
The analyst noted that the redemption move was anticipated and that more details regarding the plans for the subordinated debt might be shared during the upcoming first-quarter earnings call, scheduled for April 24, 2025. OceanFirst Financial, with a market capitalization of $893.33 million, has previously mentioned that refinancing the sub debt could be a possibility, depending on the cost, while raising common equity is currently considered unattractive. For deeper insights into OceanFirst Financial’s financial health and future prospects, investors can access comprehensive analysis through InvestingPro’s detailed research reports.
In other recent news, OceanFirst Financial Corp reported its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings, meeting analyst expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.36 and maintaining a revenue forecast of $94.95 million. The company highlighted strategic acquisitions in mortgage and real estate lending, including Garden State Home Loans and Spring Garden Capital, which are expected to support its growth in these sectors. Despite increased operating expenses, OceanFirst’s asset quality remains strong, with non-performing loans at just 0.28% of total loans. The company also announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share, marking its 111th consecutive dividend payout. In terms of analyst updates, DA Davidson maintained a Neutral rating on OceanFirst with a price target of $19.00, noting the potential for restructuring within its Premier Bank segment to drive deposit growth. The firm also highlighted the risks related to the timing and scale of deposit growth improvements. Investors are looking forward to the first quarter 2025 earnings release for further insights into OceanFirst’s growth and profitability strategies.
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