Southern California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) Short Interest Up 47.1% in April

Southern California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 423,600 shares, a growth of 47.1% from the March 31st total of 287,900 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 10.4 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCAL. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southern California Bancorp in the first quarter valued at about $159,000. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp purchased a new position in Southern California Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $375,000. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Southern California Bancorp in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Southern California Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,700,000. 55.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southern California Bancorp Price Performance

BCAL stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $14.14. 12,717 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,572. Southern California Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $12.16 and a fifty-two week high of $18.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $14.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.31. The company has a market capitalization of $261.97 million and a P/E ratio of 10.17.

Southern California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, March 15th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter. Southern California Bancorp had a net margin of 20.42% and a return on equity of 9.35%. The business had revenue of $22.46 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southern California Bancorp will post 1.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Southern California Bancorp

Southern California Bancorp operates as the holding company for Bank of Southern California, N.A. that provides various financial products to individuals, professionals, and small-to medium-sized businesses. The company offers checking, personal and business savings, and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.