Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.20.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Banner from $69.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Banner in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Banner from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

Banner Stock Up 0.2 %

BANR stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $68.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 157,535 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,441. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.07 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Banner has a 52-week low of $42.00 and a 52-week high of $78.05.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.11. Banner had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 20.28%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Banner will post 5.22 EPS for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Banner's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BANR. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Banner by 10,213.3% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 634,579 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,371,000 after acquiring an additional 628,426 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Banner by 79.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,328,616 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $79,132,000 after purchasing an additional 588,591 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Banner by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,785,319 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $106,334,000 after purchasing an additional 193,434 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Banner during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,023,000. Finally, FMR LLC increased its position in Banner by 395.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 166,120 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,894,000 after buying an additional 132,586 shares during the period. 87.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banner Company 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.