Guardian Partners Inc. Takes Position in Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 6,600 shares of the bank's stock, valued at approximately $404,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 2,436.8% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 482 shares of the bank's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Ameris Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 56.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,113 shares of the bank's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the bank's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ameris Bancorp by 167.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,431 shares of the bank's stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Ameris Bancorp from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $71.00 price objective (up previously from $67.00) on shares of Ameris Bancorp in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ameris Bancorp has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.50.

Insider Transactions at Ameris Bancorp

In related news, insider Douglas D. Strange bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $56.95 per share, with a total value of $56,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000.85. This trade represents a 5.43 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 5.50% of the company's stock.

Ameris Bancorp Price Performance

ABCB stock traded down $1.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.13. 270,241 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 372,862. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.88. Ameris Bancorp has a one year low of $44.23 and a one year high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 1.02.

Ameris Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Ameris Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.36%.

Ameris Bancorp 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.