Brokerages Set BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU) Price Target at $43.40

BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.40.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BKU shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on BankUnited from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on BankUnited from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of BankUnited from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on BankUnited from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th.

BankUnited Trading Down 1.3 %

BKU stock traded down $0.54 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.09. 427,868 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 829,092. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $39.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.86. BankUnited has a one year low of $24.34 and a one year high of $44.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 1.38.

BankUnited (NYSE:BKU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.19. BankUnited had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 8.48%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.26 EPS. Research analysts predict that BankUnited will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BankUnited Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. BankUnited's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jay D. Richards sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.18, for a total value of $102,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 34,687 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,428,410.66. This trade represents a 6.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Thomas M. Cornish sold 10,778 shares of BankUnited stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.11, for a total transaction of $421,527.58. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,911,000. This represents a 9.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.19% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of BankUnited

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKU. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of BankUnited by 182.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 847 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 547 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of BankUnited in the 4th quarter valued at $113,000. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of BankUnited by 118.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 2,280 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in BankUnited by 87.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,028 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of BankUnited during the second quarter valued at $169,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.70% of the company's stock.

BankUnited Company Profile

BankUnited, Inc operates as the bank holding company for BankUnited, a national banking association that provides a range of banking services in the United States. The company offers deposit products, such as checking, money market deposit, and savings accounts; certificates of deposit; and treasury, commercial payment, and cash management services.