American Century Companies Inc. Has $49.30 Million Stock Holdings in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 738,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 38,454 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.14% of Banner worth $49,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Banner during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Banner during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Banner by 167.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 705 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Banner by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,656 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in Banner by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. 87.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.20.

Banner Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ:BANR traded down $0.63 on Friday, reaching $63.81. 164,404 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 206,739. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Banner Co. has a 1-year low of $42.00 and a 1-year high of $78.05. The company's 50 day moving average is $67.46 and its 200-day moving average is $67.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 1.07.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.03%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Banner Profile

Banner Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Banner Bank that engages in the provision of commercial banking and financial products and services to individuals, businesses, and public sector entities in the United States. It accepts various deposit instruments, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, regular savings accounts, and certificates of deposit, as well as treasury management services and retirement savings plans.