Intech Investment Management LLC Acquires 5,643 Shares of Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR)

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Banner Co. (NASDAQ:BANR - Free Report) by 52.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,455 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,643 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Banner were worth $1,099,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Banner Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ BANR traded down $0.85 on Wednesday, hitting $64.65. 151,638 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 198,708. The company's 50-day moving average price is $67.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25 and a beta of 1.07. Banner Co. has a 52-week low of $42.00 and a 52-week high of $78.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Banner (NASDAQ:BANR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts predict that Banner Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current year.

Banner Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Banner's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.