Barclays PLC Increases Stock Position in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB - Free Report) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 148,046 shares of the bank's stock after buying an additional 8,045 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned about 0.21% of Ameris Bancorp worth $9,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABCB. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,887 shares of the bank's stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in Ameris Bancorp by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,020 shares of the bank's stock valued at $877,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in Ameris Bancorp by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 45,321 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,836,000 after buying an additional 6,529 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Ameris Bancorp by 836.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the bank's stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 1,891 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameris Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,016,000. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ameris Bancorp Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of Ameris Bancorp stock traded down $0.83 on Friday, reaching $55.98. 211,853 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 389,890. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $57.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.65. The company has a market cap of $3.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 0.87. Ameris Bancorp has a 1-year low of $45.89 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Ameris Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Ameris Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.36%.

Insider Activity

In other Ameris Bancorp news, insider Douglas D. Strange bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $56.95 per share, with a total value of $56,950.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000.85. The trade was a 5.43 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ABCB shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $74.00 price target for the company. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $71.00 target price (up previously from $67.00) on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler Companies lifted their target price on Ameris Bancorp to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.43.

Ameris Bancorp Company Profile

Ameris Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Ameris Bank that provides range of banking services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through five segments: Banking Division, Retail Mortgage Division, Warehouse Lending Division, SBA Division, and Premium Finance Division. The company offers commercial and retail checking, regular interest-bearing savings, money market, individual retirement, and certificates of deposit accounts.