Dime Community Bancshares (NASDAQ:DCOM) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

Shares of Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCOM) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $34.45 and last traded at $32.72, with a volume of 1133289 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.12.

The savings and loans company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.09. Dime Community Bancshares had a net margin of 8.72% and a return on equity of 7.81%. The firm had revenue of $123.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $118.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.42 EPS.

Dime Community Bancshares Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Dime Community Bancshares’s payout ratio is 87.72%.

Trending Headlines about Dime Community Bancshares

Here are the key news stories impacting Dime Community Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — adjusted EPS and revenue topped consensus, supporting the stock rally. Management reported adjusted diluted EPS of $0.79 (and GAAP diluted EPS of $0.68) and record fourth-quarter revenue (~$124M), beating Wall Street estimates. Dime Community (DCOM) Surpasses Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong deposit and loan growth — management highlighted substantial core-deposit gains and business loan growth (linked-quarter and year-over-year increases), which supports future net interest income as loans reprice. These execution metrics underpin management’s claim of durable revenue upside. Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Reports Strong Fourth Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Margin and efficiency improvement — Q4 net interest margin rose to ~3.11% and management emphasized a multi-quarter loan repricing opportunity through 2027 plus efficiency-ratio improvement, signaling potential earnings leverage ahead. Investors interpreted the call as indicating additional margin upside. Dime Community Bancshares Earnings Call Highlights Margin Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted vs. reported metrics — the company presents non-GAAP adjustments (adjusted EPS $0.79 vs. reported $0.68) and reconciliations; investors should note the difference when modeling near-term performance. Dime Community (DCOM) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call transparency — the full transcript and call provided additional color on strategy, asset quality and capital, useful for modeling but not adding new quantitative guidance. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Expenses, tax items and one-offs — non-interest expense rose year-over-year and the quarter included discrete tax items and other adjustments; those items temper near-term margin improvement and add variability to GAAP EPS. QuiverQuant Summary of Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: CRE concentration remains a watch item — management reduced the consolidated CRE concentration but it remains elevated (management cites proactive management); investors may price in CRE concentration and macro real-estate risk until further improvement. Company Press Release (CRE concentration details)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Dime Community Bancshares from $37.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Dime Community Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson set a $36.00 price objective on Dime Community Bancshares in a report on Friday, December 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of Dime Community Bancshares from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Stephens set a $33.00 price target on shares of Dime Community Bancshares and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dime Community Bancshares presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Basswood Capital Management, L bought 20,537 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.26 per share, for a total transaction of $539,301.62. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,034,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,156,989.08. This trade represents a 2.03% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Raymond A. Nielsen sold 2,200 shares of Dime Community Bancshares stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.29, for a total transaction of $57,838.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $893,465.65. This represents a 6.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,695 shares of company stock valued at $125,809. Corporate insiders own 7.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Dime Community Bancshares

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DCOM. Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new position in Dime Community Bancshares during the fourth quarter worth about $1,065,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,693 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,347 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 157,812 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $4,708,000 after purchasing an additional 17,129 shares in the last quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC grew its position in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 584,810 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $17,487,000 after purchasing an additional 98,736 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Dime Community Bancshares by 61.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 14,821 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 5,652 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.27% of the company’s stock.

Dime Community Bancshares Trading Up 8.6%

The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.70 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $29.78 and a 200-day moving average of $29.27.

Dime Community Bancshares Company Profile

Dime Community Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for Dime Community Bank, headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. Through its subsidiary, the company offers a comprehensive suite of banking and financial services to both individual and commercial customers. With a network of branches spanning the New York metropolitan area and South Florida, Dime Community Bancshares emphasizes relationship banking and local decision-making.

The company’s core lending activities include commercial and multifamily real estate loans, construction and land development financing, and one-to-four-family residential mortgage lending.