OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ:OCFC) Stock Rating Lowered by DA Davidson

OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ:OCFC) was downgraded by DA Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on OCFC. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of OceanFirst Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of OceanFirst Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $20.00 to $22.00 in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective (up previously from $21.00) on shares of OceanFirst Financial in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of OceanFirst Financial from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of OceanFirst Financial from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, OceanFirst Financial has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.60.

OceanFirst Financial Trading Down 6.7%

OCFC opened at $18.28 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 1.10. OceanFirst Financial has a 12 month low of $14.29 and a 12 month high of $20.61. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

OceanFirst Financial (NASDAQ:OCFC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, June 14th. The savings and loans company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $93.08 million during the quarter. OceanFirst Financial had a return on equity of 5.02% and a net margin of 11.77%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that OceanFirst Financial will post 1.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On OceanFirst Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in OceanFirst Financial by 7.0% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 10,285 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. EMC Capital Management lifted its position in shares of OceanFirst Financial by 8.7% in the second quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 9,952 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $175,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of OceanFirst Financial by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,343 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $206,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of OceanFirst Financial by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 20,548 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio increased its holdings in shares of OceanFirst Financial by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 38,700 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $680,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

OceanFirst Financial News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting OceanFirst Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The merger creates scale and targeted market expansion — the combination is expected to produce a ~$23 billion regional bank across New Jersey, Long Island and NYC markets and is forecast to drive 2027 EPS accretion of ~16% and improved return metrics. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Warburg Pincus has fully committed $225M at a fixed price to support the deal, which strengthens deal financing and reduces near?term capital uncertainty. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Transaction structure and timing — all?stock deal valued at ~$579M (using OCFC’s 12/26 close), Flushing shareholders receive 0.85x OCFC shares, expected close Q2 2026 subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Governance and capital mechanics — post?close ownership is expected to be ~58% current OCFC shareholders, ~30% Flushing shareholders and ~12% Warburg; Warburg receives additional long?dated warrants with a $30 trigger. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Potential dilution and shareholder concerns — the equity raise and share issuance will dilute existing OCFC holders and could weigh on near?term per?share metrics despite projected long?term accretion. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation/investigations have been announced — Halper Sadeh LLC and Kahn Swick & Foti are investigating whether the merger and the FFIC valuation/process are fair, increasing execution and reputational risk. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction — the stock is trading lower today amid deal news and investor scrutiny, reflecting concerns over dilution, execution risk and regulatory approval timing. Read More. Read More.

About OceanFirst Financial

OceanFirst Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: OCFC) is a bank holding company headquartered in Toms River, New Jersey, that provides a full range of community banking and financial services through its principal subsidiary, OceanFirst Bank. Established in the early 20th century, the company has built its business around serving the deposit, lending and wealth management needs of individuals, small businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations across New Jersey and portions of New York.

The company’s core activities include accepting consumer and business deposits, making commercial, municipal and consumer loans, and offering residential mortgage financing.